BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1749

By: Wray

Higher Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been noted that many Texas junior college districts are ineligible to apply for approval to offer baccalaureate degree programs because of a condition that requires the district's taxable property valuation to meet a certain minimum. C.S.H.B. 1749 seeks to expand affordable access to four-year degrees by removing that condition of eligibility.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.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.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 1749 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute does not remove a condition of eligibility based on taxable property valuation for a public junior college seeking authorization to offer a baccalaureate degree program but exempts Navarro College from that condition.