BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 4010

By: Turner, Chris

Higher Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been suggested that high school students who are enrolled in certain dual credit courses at a public junior college but not enrolled in a degree program may be better equipped to focus their academic efforts if they are required to file a degree plan. H.B. 4010 seeks to address this issue by establishing a degree plan filing requirement for certain such students.

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

H.B. 4010 amends the Education Code to require a student enrolled in a course for joint high school and junior college credit at a public junior college and to whom certain degree plan requirements for a student enrolled in an associate or bachelor's degree program do not apply to file a degree plan with the college not later than:

· the end of the second regular semester or term immediately following the semester or term in which the student earned a cumulative total of 15 or more semester credit hours of course credit for dual credit courses successfully completed by the student; or

· if the student begins the student's first semester or term at the college with 15 or more semester credit hours of course credit for dual credit courses successfully completed by the student, the end of the student's second regular semester or term at the college.

H.B. 4010 replaces the authorization for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, in consultation with public institutions of higher education, to adopt rules as necessary for the administration of provisions relating to required filing of a degree plan with a requirement for the coordinating board to do so and specifies the inclusion of rules requiring institutions to report related information to the coordinating board. The bill revises provisions relating to the time at which a student enrolled in a multidisciplinary studies associate degree program is required to meet with an academic advisor to complete a degree plan to conform to the degree plan filing requirements for a student enrolled in any other associate degree program. The bill applies beginning with the 2019-2020 academic year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

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