By: Anderson, Morales of Maverick H.B. No. 3287

(Senate Sponsor - LaMantia)

(In the Senate - Received from the House April 24, 2023; April 24, 2023, read first time and referred to Subcommittee on Higher Education; May 15, 2023, reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute from Committee on Education by the following vote: Yeas 13, Nays 0; May 15, 2023, sent to printer.) Click here to see the committee vote

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 3287 By: Parker

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the locations of the campuses of the Texas State Technical College System.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 135.02(a), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) The Texas State Technical College System is composed of:

(1) a system office located in the city of Waco in McLennan County;

(2) a campus located in [the city of Harlingen in] Cameron County;

(3) a campus serving West Texas that operates as a collective unit of strategically positioned permanent locations in [the city of Sweetwater in] Nolan County, [the city of Abilene in] Taylor County, [the city of Brownwood in] Brown County, and [the city of Breckenridge in] Stephens County;

(4) a campus located [in the city of Marshall] in Harrison County;

(5) a campus located [in the city of Waco] in McLennan County;

(6) a campus located in Fort Bend County;

(7) a campus that operates as a collective unit of one or more locations [located in the city of Red Oak] in Ellis County; [and]

(8) a campus that operates as a collective unit of one or more locations in Comal County and Guadalupe County;

(9) a campus located in Denton County;

(10) a campus that operates as a collective unit of one or more locations in Williamson County east of State Highway 130 and Interstate Highway 35; and

(11) campuses assigned to the system from time to time by specific legislative Act.

SECTION 2. Section 130.063(e), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(e) This section does not prevent a junior college district from annexing territory located in Brown County, Comal County, Denton County, Guadalupe County, or Williamson County.

SECTION 3. Section 135.04(b), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b) Before any program may be offered by a campus or extension center within the tax district of a public junior college that is operating a vocational and technical program, it must be established that the public junior college is not capable of offering or is unable to offer the program. After it is established that a need for the program exists and that the program is not locally available, the campus or extension center may offer the program, provided approval is secured from the coordinating board. Approval of technical-vocational programs under this section does not apply to Brown, McLennan, Cameron, Fort Bend, Comal, Denton, Guadalupe, Williamson, and Potter Counties [counties].

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2023.

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