BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	C.S.S.B. 1797
87R18348 CXP-F	By: West
	Higher Education
	4/21/2021
	Committee Report (Substituted)

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

The TexShare program is a statewide resource-sharing consortium of hundreds of member libraries in Texas administered by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC). The TexShare program maximizes the effectiveness of library expenditures by enabling member libraries to share staff expertise, share materials electronic and print formats, pursue joint purchasing agreements on electronic databases, and encourage the cooperative development of Texas libraries statewide. TexShare is made up of Texas academic libraries, public libraries, and libraries of clinical medicine.

Paul Quinn College of Dallas is a member of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas, Inc. (ICUT), and is a federally recognized work college. Paul Quinn had a consortium membership in TexShare that provided their students with affordable and continual access to information that was otherwise not available to them on campus.

S.B. 1797 would add a work college, as that term is defined by 20 U.S.C. Section 1087-58, to the institutions allowed access to the TexShare program.

The committee substitute simply replaced the original bill with a Legislative Council draft.

C.S.S.B. 1797 amends current law relating to including work colleges in the TexShare library consortium.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 441.221(2), Government Code, to redefine "institution of higher education" for Subchapter M (TexShare Library Consortium) to include a work college, as defined by 20 U.S.C. Section 1087-58. Makes nonsubstantive changes.

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2021.

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