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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the coordination of the transfer of course credit |
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between public institutions of higher education. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 61.822, Education Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsections (f) and (g) |
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to read as follows: |
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(a) The board shall develop and implement a policy regarding |
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[encourage] the transferability of lower division course credit |
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among institutions of higher education. |
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(b) Each institution of higher education shall adopt a core |
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curriculum of no less than 42 semester credit hours, including |
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specific courses comprising the curriculum. The core curriculum |
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shall be consistent with the common course numbering system |
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approved by the board under Section 61.832 and with the statement, |
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recommendations, and rules issued by the board. An institution may |
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have a core curriculum of other than 42 semester credit hours only |
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if approved by the board. |
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(f) The board shall establish a database and collect |
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information as determined by the board to annually identify the 25 |
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degree programs that have the greatest transfer student enrollment. |
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Each general academic teaching institution shall identify for each |
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of those degree programs: |
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(1) a list of the lower-division courses offered by |
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institutions of higher education that are considered by the board |
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to be general academic transfer courses that may be offered for |
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state funding by public junior colleges, public state colleges, and |
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public technical institutes; |
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(2) the required courses for the degree program that |
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satisfy the core curriculum requirements at the institution; and |
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(3) any additional lower-division requirements for |
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the degree program at the institution. |
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(g) Courses identified by a general academic teaching |
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institution under Subsection (f) are only required to be applied to |
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the appropriate degree program for a student in the period of the |
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institution's course catalog beginning with the student's first |
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enrollment in an institution of higher education. |
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SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply |
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beginning with the 2020-2021 academic year. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |