Bill Text: TX HB695 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Engrossed
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of a public law school in the Rio Grande Valley.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-1)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-04-19 - Referred to Higher Education [HB695 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HB695-Engrossed.html
| 87R2545 KEL-D | ||
| By: Martinez, Canales, Muñoz, Jr., Lucio III, | H.B. No. 695 | |
| Guerra, et al. | ||
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| relating to the establishment of a public law school in the Rio | ||
| Grande Valley. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 61.0905 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 61.0905. RIO GRANDE VALLEY SCHOOL OF LAW. (a) The | ||
| governing board of a university system may establish and operate, | ||
| as a professional school of the system, a school of law in Cameron | ||
| County or Hidalgo County as the governing board considers | ||
| appropriate. | ||
| (b) In administering the law school, the governing board may | ||
| prescribe courses leading to customary degrees offered at other | ||
| leading American schools of law and may award those degrees. | ||
| (c) The governing board may assign responsibility for the | ||
| management of the law school to a general academic teaching | ||
| institution in the university system. | ||
| (d) The governing board may accept and administer gifts and | ||
| grants from any public or private person or entity for the use and | ||
| benefit of the law school. Notwithstanding any other provision of | ||
| this section, establishment of a law school under this section is | ||
| subject to the availability of funding, either through | ||
| appropriation or from another source. | ||
| (e) The governing board of a university system that intends | ||
| to establish a law school under this section shall notify the Texas | ||
| Higher Education Coordinating Board. If the coordinating board | ||
| receives notification under this subsection from more than one | ||
| governing board, the coordinating board shall determine which of | ||
| those governing boards may establish a law school under this | ||
| section. The coordinating board must base the determination on the | ||
| need for a law school in a geographic area, potential student | ||
| demand, available system resources, the feasibility of the specific | ||
| proposal of each system, and other criteria the coordinating board | ||
| considers appropriate. | ||
| (f) Before the governing board establishes a law school | ||
| under this section, the governing board shall request the | ||
| coordinating board to prepare a feasibility study to determine the | ||
| actions the system must take to obtain accreditation of the law | ||
| school. The coordinating board shall deliver a copy of the study to | ||
| the governing board and to the chair of each legislative standing | ||
| committee with jurisdiction over higher education. | ||
| SECTION 2. For the purposes of Section 61.0905, Education | ||
| Code, as added by this Act, no state funds may be appropriated for a | ||
| state fiscal biennium ending on or before August 31, 2027. | ||
| SECTION 3. 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, 2021. | ||
