Honorable Kel Seliger, Chair, Senate Committee on Higher Education
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB2122 by West (Relating to the coordination of the transfer of course credit between public institutions of higher education.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Education Code as it pertains to course credit transfer and related provisions at institutions of higher education. Under the bill, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) would be required to develop and implement policy regarding the transferability of lower division course credit, including identifying the 25 degree programs in the state with the highest transfer student enrollment using a database. THECB would also be authorized to monitor the use of the Texas Common Course Numbering System by general academic institutions and study and issue a report on its implementation. Institutions would be permitted to receive formula funding for semester credit hours from dual credit courses in an approved Field of Study.
THECB has indicated the bill would result in some costs associated with the database, facilitating meetings to implement provisions of the bill, and monitoring use of the Texas Common Course Numbering System and issuing relevant reports. This analysis assumes these costs would not be significant and could be absorbed within existing agency resources. To the extent that dual credit courses in Fields of Study could expand the types of courses for which institutions of higher education may receive formula funding, the bill could result in a cost to the state beginning in fiscal year 2020. However, the impact of this cannot be determined.
The bill would take effect immediately if it receives a two-thirds vote in each house; otherwise, the bill would take effect September 1, 2017. The changes made by the bill would apply beginning with the 2018-19 academic year.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 719 Texas State Technical College System Administration, 720 The University of Texas System Administration, 758 Texas State University System, 768 Texas Tech University System Administration, 781 Higher Education Coordinating Board, 783 University of Houston System Administration