Bill

SB 1189

84(R) - 2015
Senate Higher Education
Senate Higher Education
Higher Education

Vote Recommendation

Yes
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Neutral
  • Positive
  • Neutral

Author(s)

Kel Seliger

Bill Caption

Relating to the establishment of a transfer associate degree program at each public junior college.

Fiscal Notes

No significant fiscal implication to the State.

Local Government Impact

The bill would require the governing board of each public junior college district to establish a transfer associate degree program at each junior college in the district. The bill would require a student to meet with an academic advisor before the beginning of the regular semester or term immediately following the semester or term in which a student successfully completes 30 or more semester credit hours for coursework in a transfer associate degree program.

Based on information provided by Dallas County Community College District, Odessa College, Tyler Junior College, and Southwest Texas Junior College, any additional costs associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be absorbed within the institutions' resources.

Bill Analysis

Updated Analysis:

SB 1189 was amended to specify a 'multidisciplinary' transfer program.

Original Analysis:

SB 1189 would require each public junior college governing board to adopt a transfer associate degree program. The student would be required to complete the junior college's core curriculum and the courses selected by the student in the degree plan. After completion of 30 credit hours, the student would be required to meet with an advisor to create a plan to complete the remaining hours and prepare for transition to a four year degree university if that student chooses. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board would be required to adopt necessary rules for administration and implementation of this section.

Vote Recommendation Notes

05/20/2015 update:

SB 1189 was amended with minor changes that do not affect our original vote recommendation. We support SB 1189 in the second chamber. The second chamber sponsor is Representative John Zerwas.

Original chamber recommendation:

This bill would help to ensure that students at a public junior college get the best value for the courses they take. Many junior college students take courses at junior colleges to be closer to home or to pay a lower tuition rate for the first year or so before transferring to a four year university. All too often they find that the four year universities, including public in state universities, do not accept all of the transfer credits from the junior college. This leaves the students little alternative than to retake the same or similar courses at the university, or take alternative classes to make up for the credit hours lost in the transfer.

This legislation would require the junior colleges to help their students get a better return on value for their course credits by advising them to take courses that will fully transfer to a four year university. So long as the state runs institutions of higher education, it is the responsibility of those institutions to make their best effort to ensure that students get the best return on value for the education they pay for. For this reason, we support SB 1189 on the principle of limited government.