By: West  S.B. No. 1782
         (In the Senate - Filed March 9, 2017; March 23, 2017, read
  first time and referred to Committee on Higher Education;
  April 24, 2017, reported adversely, with favorable Committee
  Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0; April 24, 2017,
  sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
  COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1782 By:  West
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to the elimination of certain formula funding and dropped
  course restrictions for returning adult students at public
  institutions of higher education.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 51.907, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (e-1) to read as follows:
         (e-1)  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
  adopt rules under which an institution of higher education shall
  permit a student to drop one additional course under circumstances
  described by Subsection (b) than the number of courses permitted to
  be dropped under Subsection (c) or under a policy adopted under
  Subsection (d) if the student:
               (1)  has reenrolled at the institution following a
  break in enrollment from the institution or another institution of
  higher education covering the 24-month period preceding the first
  class day of the initial semester or other academic term of the
  student's reenrollment; and 
               (2)  successfully completed at least 50 semester credit
  hours of course work at an institution of higher education before
  that break in enrollment.
         SECTION 2.  Section 61.059, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (r) to read as follows:
         (r)  Notwithstanding any other law, the board may not exclude
  from the number of semester credit hours reported to the
  Legislative Budget Board for formula funding under this section
  semester credit hours for any course taken up to three times by a
  student who:
               (1)  has reenrolled at an institution of higher
  education following a break in enrollment from the institution or
  another institution of higher education covering the 24-month
  period preceding the first class day of the initial semester or
  other academic term of the student's reenrollment; and
               (2)  successfully completed at least 50 semester credit
  hours of course work at an institution of higher education before
  that break in enrollment.
         SECTION 3.  Section 61.0595(d), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (d)  The following are not counted for purposes of
  determining whether the student has previously earned the number of
  semester credit hours specified by Subsection (a):
               (1)  semester credit hours earned by the student before
  receiving a baccalaureate degree that has previously been awarded
  to the student;
               (2)  semester credit hours earned by the student by
  examination or under any other procedure by which credit is earned
  without registering for a course for which tuition is charged;
               (3)  credit for a remedial education course, a
  technical course, a workforce education course funded according to
  contact hours, or another course that does not count toward a degree
  program at the institution;
               (4)  semester credit hours earned by the student at a
  private institution or an out-of-state institution; [and]
               (5)  semester credit hours earned by the student before
  graduating from high school and used to satisfy high school
  graduation requirements; and
               (6)  the first additional 15 semester credit hours
  earned toward a degree program by a student who:
                     (A)  has reenrolled at an institution of higher
  education following a break in enrollment from the institution or
  another institution of higher education covering the 24-month
  period preceding the first class day of the initial semester or
  other academic term of the student's reenrollment; and
                     (B)  successfully completed at least 50 semester
  credit hours of course work at an institution of higher education
  before that break in enrollment.
         SECTION 4.  (a)  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
  Board shall adopt the rules required by Section 51.907(e-1),
  Education Code, as added by this Act, not later than June 1, 2018.
         (b)  The change in law made by this Act to Section 51.907,
  Education Code, applies beginning with the 2018 fall semester.
         SECTION 5.  The changes in law made by this Act to Sections
  61.059 and 61.0595, Education Code, apply beginning with funding
  recommendations made under Section 61.059, Education Code, for the
  state fiscal biennium beginning September 1, 2019.
         SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.
 
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