BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 1749
86R28290 JRJ-D	By: Wray et al. (Birdwell)
	Higher Education
	5/9/2019
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Currently, 28 of the 50 community college districts in Texas are eligible to apply to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for accreditation to offer bachelor's level degree programs in the three specific areas of applied science, applied technology, and nursing. The single criteria preventing the remaining 22 from applying for accreditation is the taxable valuation of their taxing district. The taxable valuation metric excludes community colleges with substantial student populations, while including property-wealthy community colleges with significantly smaller student populations. As a result, the law excludes 18 percent of Texas community college students from this opportunity. Again, this is a barrier to the application process, not a step towards accreditation.

H.B. 1749 amends the Education Code to exempt Navarro College from a condition of eligibility for a public junior college seeking authorization to offer a baccalaureate degree program that requires the junior college district to have had a taxable property valuation amount of not less than $6 billion in the preceding year.

H.B. 1749 amends current law relating to the requirements for a junior college district to receive approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to offer baccalaureate degree programs.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 130.307, Education Code, by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-1), as follows:

(b) Creates an exception under Subsection (b-1) to the authorization for a public junior college to offer a baccalaureate degree program under this subchapter (Baccalaureate Degree Programs) if the junior college district meets certain financial requirements.

(b-1) Provides that the requirement of Subsection (b)(1) (relating to minimum taxable property valuation amount of not less than $6 billion) does not apply to Navarro College.

SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2019.