BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1251

By: Miles

Higher Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There have been calls to expand the authorized partnership between The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to allow them to jointly offer degree programs focusing on the fields of population and public health. Advanced training in those fields is particularly important to ensure that Texas is prepared to handle, mitigate, and respond to future public health crises. S.B. 1251 seeks to address this issue by authorizing the institutional partnership to prescribe courses and conduct graduate level programs in the targeted fields.

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

S.B. 1251 amends the Education Code to extend the authority of the board of regents of The University of Texas System to prescribe courses and conduct certain graduate programs at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center jointly with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston to include graduate programs separately established at the health science center and related to the broad fields encompassed in population and public health.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2021.