| |
| |
| |
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the elimination of certain formula funding and dropped |
|
|
course restrictions for returning adult students at public |
|
|
institutions of higher education and to the tuition rate that may be |
|
|
charged to those students for certain excessive undergraduate |
|
|
hours. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 51.907, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
adding Subsection (e-1) to read as follows: |
|
|
(e-1) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall |
|
|
adopt rules under which an institution of higher education shall |
|
|
permit a student to drop one additional course under circumstances |
|
|
described by Subsection (b) than the number of courses permitted to |
|
|
be dropped under Subsection (c) or under a policy adopted under |
|
|
Subsection (d) if the student: |
|
|
(1) has reenrolled at the institution following a |
|
|
break in enrollment from the institution or another institution of |
|
|
higher education covering the 24-month period preceding the first |
|
|
class day of the initial semester or other academic term of the |
|
|
student's reenrollment; and |
|
|
(2) successfully completed at least 50 semester credit |
|
|
hours of course work at an institution of higher education before |
|
|
that break in enrollment. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 61.059, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
adding Subsection (r) to read as follows: |
|
|
(r) Notwithstanding any other law, the board may not exclude |
|
|
from the number of semester credit hours reported to the |
|
|
Legislative Budget Board for formula funding under this section |
|
|
semester credit hours for any course taken up to three times by a |
|
|
student who: |
|
|
(1) has reenrolled at an institution of higher |
|
|
education following a break in enrollment from the institution or |
|
|
another institution of higher education covering the 24-month |
|
|
period preceding the first class day of the initial semester or |
|
|
other academic term of the student's reenrollment; and |
|
|
(2) successfully completed at least 50 semester credit |
|
|
hours of course work at an institution of higher education before |
|
|
that break in enrollment. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 61.0595, Education Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsection (d) to read as follows: |
|
|
(d) The following are not counted for purposes of |
|
|
determining whether the student has previously earned the number of |
|
|
semester credit hours specified by Subsection (a): |
|
|
(1) semester credit hours earned by the student before |
|
|
receiving a baccalaureate degree that has previously been awarded |
|
|
to the student; |
|
|
(2) semester credit hours earned by the student by |
|
|
examination or under any other procedure by which credit is earned |
|
|
without registering for a course for which tuition is charged; |
|
|
(3) credit for a remedial education course, a |
|
|
technical course, a workforce education course funded according to |
|
|
contact hours, or another course that does not count toward a degree |
|
|
program at the institution; |
|
|
(4) semester credit hours earned by the student at a |
|
|
private institution or an out-of-state institution; [and] |
|
|
(5) semester credit hours earned by the student before |
|
|
graduating from high school and used to satisfy high school |
|
|
graduation requirements; and |
|
|
(6) the first additional 15 semester credit hours |
|
|
earned toward a degree program by a student who: |
|
|
(A) has reenrolled at an institution of higher |
|
|
education following a break in enrollment from the institution or |
|
|
another institution of higher education covering the 24-month |
|
|
period preceding the first class day of the initial semester or |
|
|
other academic term of the student's reenrollment; and |
|
|
(B) successfully completed at least 50 semester |
|
|
credit hours of course work at an institution of higher education |
|
|
before that break in enrollment. |
|
|
SECTION 4. (a) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating |
|
|
Board shall adopt the rules required by Section 51.907(e-1), |
|
|
Education Code, as added by this Act, not later than June 1, 2018. |
|
|
(b) The change in law made by this Act to Section 51.907, |
|
|
Education Code, applies beginning with the 2018 fall semester. |
|
|
SECTION 5. The changes in law made by this Act to Sections |
|
|
61.059 and 61.0595, Education Code, apply beginning with funding |
|
|
recommendations made under Section 61.059, Education Code, for the |
|
|
state fiscal biennium beginning September 1, 2019. |
|
|
SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|
|
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|
|
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|
|
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|
|
Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
______________________________ |
______________________________ |
| |
President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
| |
|
|
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1782 passed the Senate on |
|
|
May 4, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 28, Nays 3; and that the |
|
|
Senate concurred in House amendments on May 28, 2017, by the |
|
|
following vote: Yeas 28, Nays 3. |
|
|
|
| |
| |
______________________________ |
| |
Secretary of the Senate |
| |
|
|
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1782 passed the House, with |
|
|
amendments, on May 16, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 132, |
|
|
Nays 13, one present not voting. |
|
|
|
| |
| |
______________________________ |
| |
Chief Clerk of the House |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Approved: |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Date |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Governor |