BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2000

By: Turner, Chris

Higher Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised regarding the length of time that has passed since the legislature last provided for new tuition revenue bond authority for certain public institutions of higher education. It has been suggested that on many campuses the infrastructure and facilities typically funded by such bonds are either unfit and in need of improvement or insufficient to meet enrollment projections given the rapidly growing state population. C.S.H.B. 2000 seeks to address these concerns by authorizing the issuance of additional bonds for specified institutions, college or university systems, and capital projects.

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. 2000 amends the Education Code to authorize the boards of regents of the following public institutions of higher education to acquire, purchase, construct, improve, renovate, enlarge, or equip property and facilities for specified capital projects to be financed through the issuance of bonds in accordance with statutory requirements and the institution's systemwide revenue financing program, if applicable:

·       The Texas A&M University System;

·       The University of Texas System;

·       the University of Houston System;

·       the Texas State University System;

·       the University of North Texas System;

·       Texas Woman's University;

·       Midwestern State University;

·       Stephen F. Austin State University;

·       the Texas Tech University System;

·       Texas Southern University; and

·       the Texas State Technical College System.

C.S.H.B. 2000 sets out, for each institution, the specified projects that may be financed by the bonds and the maximum aggregate principal amounts that may be financed for each project.

C.S.H.B. 2000 provides for the authority of each applicable board of regents to pledge revenue funds to the payment of the bonds and provides for the authority of the board of regents of each applicable college system or university system to transfer funds among component institutions, branches, and entities of the system for purposes of meeting the board's obligations under the bill's provisions.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 2000 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 includes Texas Southern University among the institutions granted additional bond authority.

The substitute makes certain revisions and additions to the specified projects that may be financed by bonds and the maximum aggregate principal amounts that may be financed for those projects at the following university systems:

·       The Texas A&M University System;

·       The University of Texas System;

·       the University of Houston System;

·       the Texas State University System;

·       the University of North Texas System; and

·       the Texas Tech University System.