�
�
�	S.B.�No.�175

�
�
�
�	AN ACT
�	relating to the automatic admission of undergraduate students to
�	certain general academic teaching institutions and to scholarship
�	and other programs to facilitate enrollment at institutions of
�	higher education.
�	�������BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
�	�������SECTION�1.��Section 51.803, Education Code, is amended by
�	amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (a-1), (a-2), (a-3),
�	(a-4), (a-5), (a-6), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), and (l) to read as
�	follows:
�	�������(a)��Subject to Subsection (a-1), each [Each] general
�	academic teaching institution shall admit an applicant for
�	admission to the institution as an undergraduate student if the
�	applicant graduated with a grade point average in the top 10 percent
�	of the student's high school graduating class in one of the two
�	school years preceding the academic year for which the applicant is
�	applying for admission and:
�	�������������(1)��the applicant graduated from a public or private
�	high school in this state accredited by a generally recognized
�	accrediting organization or from a high school operated by the
�	United States Department of Defense;
�	�������������(2)��the applicant:
�	�������������������(A)��successfully completed:
�	�������������������������(i)��at a public high school, the curriculum
�	requirements established under Section 28.025 for the recommended
�	or advanced high school program; or
�	�������������������������(ii)��at a high school to which Section
�	28.025 does not apply, a curriculum that is equivalent in content
�	and rigor to the recommended or advanced high school program; or
�	�������������������(B)��satisfied ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks
�	on the ACT assessment applicable to the applicant or earned on the
�	SAT assessment a score of at least 1,500 out of 2,400 or the
�	equivalent; and
�	�������������(3)��if the applicant graduated from a high school
�	operated by the United States Department of Defense, the applicant
�	is a Texas resident under Section 54.052 or is entitled to pay
�	tuition fees at the rate provided for Texas residents under Section
�	54.058(d) for the term or semester to which admitted.
�	�������(a-1)��Beginning with admissions for the 2011-2012 academic
�	year, The University of Texas at Austin is not required to offer
�	admission to applicants who qualify for automatic admission under
�	Subsection (a) in excess of the number required to fill 75 percent
�	of the university's enrollment capacity designated for first-time
�	resident undergraduate students in an academic year. If the number
�	of applicants who qualify for automatic admission to The University
�	of Texas at Austin under Subsection (a) for an academic year exceeds
�	75 percent of the university's enrollment capacity designated for
�	first-time resident undergraduate students for that academic year,
�	the university may elect to offer admission to those applicants as
�	provided by this subsection and not as otherwise required by
�	Subsection (a). If the university elects to offer admission under
�	this subsection, the university shall offer admission to those
�	applicants by percentile rank according to high school graduating
�	class standing based on grade point average, beginning with the top
�	percentile rank, until the applicants qualified under Subsection
�	(a) have been offered admission in the number estimated in good
�	faith by the university as sufficient to fill 75 percent of the
�	university's enrollment capacity designated for first-time
�	resident undergraduate students, except that the university must
�	offer admission to all applicants with the same percentile rank.
�	After the applicants qualified for automatic admission under
�	Subsection (a) have been offered admission under this subsection in
�	the number estimated in good faith as sufficient to fill 75 percent
�	of the designated enrollment capacity described by this subsection,
�	the university shall consider any remaining applicants qualified
�	for automatic admission under Subsection (a) in the same manner as
�	other applicants for admission as first-time undergraduate
�	students in accordance with Section 51.805.
�	�������(a-2)��If the number of applicants who apply to a general
�	academic teaching institution during the current academic year for
�	admission in the next academic year and who qualify for automatic
�	admission to a general academic teaching institution under
�	Subsection (a) exceeds 75 percent of the institution's enrollment
�	capacity designated for first-time resident undergraduate students
�	for that next academic year and the institution plans to offer
�	admission under Subsection (a-1) during the next school year, the
�	institution shall, in the manner prescribed by the Texas Education
�	Agency and not later than September 15, provide to each school
�	district, for dissemination of the information to high school
�	junior-level students and their parents, notice of which percentile
�	ranks of high school senior-level students who qualify for
�	automatic admission under Subsection (a) are anticipated by the
�	institution to be offered admission under Subsection (a-1) during
�	the next school year.
�	�������(a-3)��Notwithstanding Subsection (a-1), The University of
�	Texas at Austin may not offer admission under that subsection for an
�	academic year after the 2015-2016 academic year.
�	�������(a-4)��If The University of Texas at Austin elects to offer
�	admission to first-time resident undergraduate students under
�	Subsection (a-1) for an academic year, the university must continue
�	its practice of not considering an applicant's legacy status as a
�	factor in the university's decisions relating to admissions for
�	that academic year.
�	�������(a-5)��A general academic teaching institution that offers
�	admission to first-time resident undergraduate students under
�	Subsection (a-1) shall require that a student admitted under that
�	subsection complete a designated portion of not less than six
�	semester credit hours of the student's coursework during evening
�	hours or other low-demand hours as necessary to ensure the
�	efficient use of the institution's available classrooms.
�	�������(a-6)��Not later than December 31 of each academic year in
�	which The University of Texas at Austin offers admission under
�	Subsection (a-1), the university shall deliver a written report to
�	the governor, the lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of
�	representatives regarding the university's progress in each of the
�	following matters:
�	�������������(1)��increasing geographic diversity of the entering
�	freshman class;
�	�������������(2)��counseling and outreach efforts aimed at students
�	qualified for automatic admission under this section;
�	�������������(3)��recruiting Texas residents who graduate from other
�	institutions of higher education to the university's graduate and
�	professional degree programs;
�	�������������(4)��recruiting students who are members of
�	underrepresented demographic segments of the state's population;
�	and
�	�������������(5)��assessing and improving the university's regional
�	recruitment centers.
�	�������(g)��The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board by rule
�	shall develop and implement a program to increase and enhance the
�	efforts of general academic teaching institutions in conducting
�	outreach to academically high-performing high school seniors in
�	this state who are likely to be eligible for automatic admission
�	under Subsection (a) to provide to those students information and
�	counseling regarding the operation of this section and other
�	opportunities, including financial assistance, available to those
�	students for success at public institutions of higher education in
�	this state. Under the program, the coordinating board, after
�	gathering information and recommendations from available sources
�	and examining current outreach practices by institutions in this
�	state and in other states, shall prescribe best practices
�	guidelines and standards to be used by general academic teaching
�	institutions in conducting the student outreach described by this
�	subsection.
�	�������(h)��An institution that admits under this section an
�	applicant qualified for automatic admission under Subsection (a)
�	may admit the applicant for either the fall semester of the academic
�	year for which the applicant applies or for the summer session
�	preceding that fall semester, as determined by the institution.
�	�������(i)��If a general academic teaching institution denies
�	admission to an applicant for an academic year, in any letter or
�	other communication the institution provides to the applicant
�	notifying the applicant of that denial, the institution may not
�	reference the provisions of this section, including using a
�	description of a provision of this section such as the top 10
�	percent automatic admissions law, as a reason the institution is
�	unable to offer admission to the applicant unless the number of
�	applicants for admission to the institution for that academic year
�	who qualify for automatic admission under Subsection (a) is
�	sufficient to fill 100 percent of the institution's enrollment
�	capacity designated for first-time resident undergraduate
�	students.
�	�������(j)��A general academic teaching institution that elects to
�	offer admission under Subsection (a-1) for an academic year may not
�	offer admission to first-time undergraduate students who are not
�	residents of this state for that academic year in excess of the
�	number required to fill 10 percent of the institution's enrollment
�	capacity designated for first-time undergraduate students for that
�	academic year.
�	�������(k)��A general academic teaching institution may not offer
�	admission under Subsection (a-1) for an academic year if, on the
�	date of the institution's general deadline for applications for
�	admission of first-time undergraduate students for that academic
�	year:
�	�������������(1)��a final court order applicable to the institution
�	prohibits the institution from considering an applicant's race or
�	ethnicity as a factor in the institution's decisions relating to
�	first-time undergraduate admissions; or
�	�������������(2)��the institution's governing board by rule, policy,
�	or other manner has provided that an applicant's race or ethnicity
�	may not be considered as a factor in the institution's decisions
�	relating to first-time undergraduate admissions, except that this
�	subdivision does not apply to an institution that did not consider,
�	on or before June 1, 2009, an applicant's race or ethnicity as a
�	factor in its admissions of first-time resident undergraduate
�	students for the 2009-2010 academic year.
�	�������(l)��The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
�	publish an annual report on the impact of Subsection (a-1) on the
�	state's goal of closing college access and achievement gaps under
�	"Closing the Gaps," the state's master plan for higher education,
�	with respect to students of an institution that offers admission
�	under that subsection, disaggregated by race, ethnicity,
�	socioeconomic status, and geographic region and by whether the high
�	school from which the student graduated was a small school, as
�	defined by the commissioner of education, or a public high school
�	that is ranked among the lowest 20 percent of public high schools
�	according to the percentage of each high school's graduates who
�	enroll in a four-year institution, including a general academic
�	teaching institution, in one of the two academic years following
�	the year of the applicant's high school graduation. On request, a
�	general academic teaching institution that offers admission under
�	Subsection (a-1) shall provide the board with any information the
�	board considers necessary for the completion of the report required
�	by this subsection.
�	�������SECTION�2.��Subchapter U, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
�	amended by adding Section 51.8035 to read as follows:
�	�������Sec.�51.8035.��AUTOMATIC ADMISSION OF APPLICANTS COMPLETING
�	CORE CURRICULUM AT ANOTHER INSTITUTION. (a)��In this section:
�	�������������(1)��"Core curriculum" means the core curriculum
�	adopted by an institution of higher education under Section 61.822.
�	�������������(2)��"General academic teaching institution" has the
�	meaning assigned by Section 61.003.
�	�������(b)��A general academic teaching institution shall admit an
�	applicant for admission to the institution as a transfer
�	undergraduate student who:
�	�������������(1)��graduated from high school not earlier than the
�	fourth school year before the academic year for which the applicant
�	seeks admission to the institution as a transfer student and:
�	�������������������(A)��qualified for automatic admission to a
�	general academic teaching institution under Section 51.803 at the
�	time of graduation; or
�	�������������������(B)��was previously offered admission under this
�	subchapter to the institution to which the applicant seeks
�	admission as a transfer student;
�	�������������(2)��first enrolled in a public junior college or other
�	public or private lower-division institution of higher education
�	not earlier than the third academic year before the academic year
�	for which the applicant seeks admission;
�	�������������(3)��completed the core curriculum at a public junior
�	college or other public or private lower-division institution of
�	higher education with a cumulative grade point average of at least
�	2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent; and
�	�������������(4)��submits a completed application for admission as a
�	transfer student before the expiration of any application filing
�	deadline established by the institution.
�	�������(c)��For purposes of this section, transfer semester credit
�	hours from a different institution of higher education and semester
�	credit hours earned by examination shall be included in determining
�	whether the person completed the core curriculum at an institution
�	of higher education.
�	�������(d)��It is the responsibility of the applicant for admission
�	under this section to:
�	�������������(1)��expressly and clearly claim in the application
�	entitlement to admission under this section; and
�	�������������(2)��timely provide to the general academic teaching
�	institution the documentation required by the institution to
�	determine the student's entitlement to admission under this
�	section.
�	�������SECTION�3.��Section 28.026, Education Code, is amended to
�	read as follows:
�	�������Sec.�28.026.��NOTICE OF AUTOMATIC COLLEGE ADMISSION.
�	(a)��The board of trustees of a school district shall require each
�	high school in the district to post appropriate signs in each
�	counselor's office, in each principal's office, and in each
�	administrative building indicating the substance of Section 51.803
�	regarding automatic college admission. To assist in the
�	dissemination of this information, the school district shall:
�	�������������(1)��require that each high school counselor and class
�	advisor be provided a detailed explanation of the substance of
�	Section 51.803;
�	�������������(2)��provide each district student, at the time the
�	student first registers for one or more classes required for high
�	school graduation, with a written notification of the substance of
�	Section 51.803;
�	�������������(3)��require that each high school counselor and senior
�	class advisor explain to eligible students the substance of Section
�	51.803; and
�	�������������(4)��not later than the 14th day after the last day of
�	classes for the fall semester or an equivalent date in the case of a
�	school operated on a year-round system under Section
�	25.084,�[(3)]�provide each eligible senior student under Section
�	51.803 and each student enrolled in the junior year of high school
�	who has a grade point average in the top 10 percent of the student's
�	high school class, and the student's parent or guardian [at the
�	commencement of a class's senior year], with a written notification
�	of the student's eligibility with a detailed explanation in plain
�	language of the substance of Section 51.803.
�	�������(b)��The commissioner shall adopt forms to use in providing
�	notice under Subsections (a)(2) and (4). In providing notice under
�	Subsection (a)(2) or (4), a school district shall use the
�	appropriate form adopted by the commissioner. The notice to a
�	student and the student's parent or guardian under Subsection
�	(a)(4) must be on a single form that may contain one or more
�	signature lines to indicate receipt of notice by the student or the
�	student's parent or guardian.
�	�������(c)��The commissioner shall adopt procedures to ensure that,
�	as soon as practicable after this subsection becomes law, each
�	school district provides written notification of the substance of
�	Section 51.803, as amended by the 81st Legislature, Regular
�	Session, 2009, to each district student who, for the 2009-2010
�	school year, registers for one or more courses required for high
�	school graduation. The commissioner may adopt rules under this
�	subsection in the manner provided by law for emergency rules. Each
�	district shall comply with the procedures adopted by the
�	commissioner under this subsection. This subsection expires
�	September 1, 2010.
�	�������SECTION�4.��Section 33.007, Education Code, is amended by
�	adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
�	�������(c)��At the beginning of grades 10 and 11, a school counselor
�	certified under the rules of the State Board for Educator
�	Certification shall explain the requirements of automatic
�	admission to a general academic teaching institution under Section
�	51.803 to each student enrolled in a high school or at the high
�	school level in an open-enrollment charter school who has a grade
�	point average in the top 25 percent of the student's high school
�	class.
�	�������SECTION�5.��Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding
�	Subchapter R to read as follows:
�	SUBCHAPTER R. SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS GRADUATING
�	IN TOP 10 PERCENT OF HIGH SCHOOL CLASS
�	�������Sec.�56.481.��PURPOSE. The purpose of this program is to
�	encourage attendance at public institutions of higher education in
�	this state by outstanding high school students in the top 10 percent
�	of their graduating class.
�	�������Sec.�56.482.��DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
�	�������������(1)��"Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
�	Education Coordinating Board.
�	�������������(2)��"Institution of higher education" has the meaning
�	assigned by Section 61.003.
�	�������������(3)��"Program" means the scholarship program
�	authorized by this subchapter.
�	�������Sec.�56.483.��AWARD OF SCHOLARSHIP. (a)��The coordinating
�	board shall award scholarships to eligible students under this
�	subchapter.
�	�������(b)��An institution of higher education shall provide to a
�	student who receives a scholarship under the program for a semester
�	or other academic term:
�	�������������(1)��a credit in the amount of the scholarship, to be
�	applied toward the payment of any amount of educational costs
�	charged by the institution for that semester or term; and
�	�������������(2)��a check, electronic transfer, or other
�	disbursement of any remaining scholarship amount.
�	�������(c)��An amount paid under Subsection (b)(2) may be applied
�	only to any usual and customary cost incurred by the student to
�	attend the institution of higher education.
�	�������Sec.�56.484.��INITIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOLARSHIP. To be
�	eligible for a scholarship under this subchapter, a student must:
�	�������������(1)��have graduated from a public or accredited private
�	high school in this state while ranked in the top 10 percent of the
�	student's graduating class, subject to Section 56.487(b);
�	�������������(2)��have completed the recommended or advanced high
�	school curriculum established under Section 28.025 or its
�	equivalent;
�	�������������(3)��have applied for admission as a first-time
�	freshman student for the 2010-2011 academic year or a subsequent
�	academic year to an institution of higher education that has
�	elected to offer admissions for that academic year to applicants as
�	provided by Section 51.803(a-1);
�	�������������(4)��enroll as a first-time freshman student in an
�	institution of higher education not later than the 16th month after
�	the date of the student's high school graduation;
�	�������������(5)��have been awarded a TEXAS grant under Subchapter M
�	for the same semester or other academic term for which the
�	scholarship will be awarded;
�	�������������(6)��be a Texas resident under Section 54.052; and
�	�������������(7)��comply with any other eligibility requirements
�	established by coordinating board rule.
�	�������Sec.�56.485.��INELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOLARSHIP.
�	Notwithstanding Section 56.484, a student is not eligible for an
�	initial or subsequent scholarship under this subchapter if the
�	student was offered admission as a first-time freshman student to
�	any institution of higher education for an academic year for which
�	that institution made admissions under Section 51.803(a-1),
�	regardless of whether the student subsequently enrolls at that
�	institution.
�	�������Sec.�56.486.��AMOUNT OF SCHOLARSHIP. (a)��Except as
�	provided by Subsection (b), the amount of a scholarship for each
�	semester or other academic term in which an eligible student is
�	enrolled at an institution of higher education is an amount
�	sufficient to cover, but not exceed, the amount of tuition charged
�	to the student for that semester or term.
�	�������(b)��The amount of a scholarship for each semester or other
�	academic term may not exceed the amount of the student's unmet
�	financial need for that semester or term after any other gift aid
�	has been awarded.
�	�������(c)��The coordinating board shall issue to each eligible
�	student a certificate indicating the amount of the scholarship
�	awarded to the student.
�	�������Sec.�56.487.��APPLICATION PROCEDURE. (a)��The coordinating
�	board shall establish application procedures for the program. The
�	procedures may require an officer of the applicable high school or
�	school district to verify the eligibility of a student to receive a
�	scholarship under the program.
�	�������(b)��The coordinating board may permit a student to establish
�	initial eligibility based on the student's class rank at the end of
�	the student's seventh semester in high school. The board may revoke
�	an initial scholarship awarded to a student who subsequently loses
�	eligibility based on the student's class rank on graduation from
�	high school.
�	�������(c)��The coordinating board may consider applications
�	received after the application deadline only if sufficient funding
�	for scholarships remains after the board awards scholarships to all
�	eligible students who applied on or before the deadline.
�	�������(d)��The coordinating board shall establish procedures to
�	notify each eligible student of the receipt of a scholarship under
�	the program and to enable an institution of higher education to
�	verify the award of a scholarship to a student who is enrolled at
�	that institution.
�	�������Sec.�56.488.��CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOLARSHIP.
�	(a)��After establishing eligibility to receive an initial
�	scholarship under the program, a student may continue to receive
�	additional scholarships during each subsequent semester or other
�	academic term in which the student is enrolled at an institution of
�	higher education if the student:
�	�������������(1)��makes satisfactory academic progress as required
�	by Section 56.489;
�	�������������(2)��submits to the institution transcripts for any
�	coursework completed at other public or private institutions of
�	higher education;
�	�������������(3)��has been awarded a TEXAS grant under Subchapter M
�	for the same semester or other academic term for which the
�	scholarship will be awarded; and
�	�������������(4)��complies with any other eligibility requirements
�	established by coordinating board rule.
�	�������(b)��If a student fails to meet any of the requirements of
�	Subsection (a) after completing a semester or other academic term,
�	the student may not receive a scholarship during the next semester
�	or other academic term in which the student enrolls. A student may
�	become eligible to receive a scholarship in a subsequent semester
�	or term if the student:
�	�������������(1)��completes a semester or term during which the
�	student is not eligible for a scholarship; and
�	�������������(2)��meets all the requirements of Subsection (a).
�	�������(c)��Except as provided by Section 56.490(b), a student's
�	eligibility for a scholarship under the program ends on the fourth
�	anniversary of the first day of the semester or other academic term
�	for which the student was awarded an initial scholarship under the
�	program.
�	�������Sec.�56.489.��SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS. For each
�	academic year in which a student receives one or more scholarships
�	under the program, the student must:
�	�������������(1)��complete for that year:
�	�������������������(A)��at least 75 percent of all credit hours
�	attempted, as determined by the institution of higher education in
�	which the student is enrolled; and
�	�������������������(B)��at least 30 credit hours or the number of
�	credit hours needed to complete the student's degree or certificate
�	program, whichever is less; and
�	�������������(2)��maintain an overall grade point average of at
�	least 3.25 on a four-point scale or its equivalent for all
�	coursework attempted at any public or private institution of higher
�	education.
�	�������Sec.�56.490.��EXCEPTION FOR HARDSHIP OR OTHER GOOD CAUSE.
�	(a)��Each institution of higher education shall adopt a policy to
�	allow a student who fails to make satisfactory academic progress as
�	required by Section 56.489 to receive a scholarship in a subsequent
�	semester or other academic term on a showing of hardship or other
�	good cause, including:
�	�������������(1)��a showing of a severe illness or other
�	debilitating condition that could affect the student's academic
�	performance;
�	�������������(2)��an indication that the student is responsible for
�	the care of a sick, injured, or needy person and that the student's
�	provision of care could affect the student's academic performance;
�	or
�	�������������(3)��any other cause considered acceptable by the
�	coordinating board.
�	�������(b)��An institution of higher education may extend the
�	eligibility period described by Section 56.488(c) in the event of
�	hardship or other good cause as provided by the institution's
�	policy adopted under Subsection (a).
�	�������(c)��An institution of higher education shall maintain
�	documentation of each exception granted to a student under this
�	section and shall provide timely notice of those exceptions to the
�	coordinating board.
�	�������Sec.�56.491.��PUBLICATION OF PROGRAM INFORMATION. (a)��The
�	coordinating board shall publish and disseminate general
�	information and rules for the program as provided by Subsection (b)
�	and as otherwise considered appropriate by the board.
�	�������(b)��The coordinating board shall provide application
�	instructions to:
�	�������������(1)��each school district and each institution of
�	higher education; and
�	�������������(2)��an individual student on request.
�	�������Sec.�56.492.��REIMBURSEMENT. (a)��Each institution of
�	higher education that provides scholarships under the program to
�	eligible students enrolled at the institution is entitled to
�	reimbursement by the coordinating board of the amounts provided.
�	The institution must request reimbursement in the manner specified
�	by coordinating board rule.
�	�������(b)��On approval of an institution's request for
�	reimbursement, the coordinating board shall direct the comptroller
�	to transfer the appropriate amount to the institution. The
�	institution may use the transferred funds as reimbursement for any
�	credits provided to students under this subchapter, to reimburse
�	students for charges previously paid to the institution, or to make
�	scholarship payments to students, as applicable.
�	�������Sec.�56.493.��RULES. The coordinating board shall adopt
�	rules as necessary to administer the program under this subchapter.
�	�������SECTION�6.��Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
�	amended by adding Section 61.07622 to read as follows:
�	�������Sec.�61.07622.��HIGHER EDUCATION ASSISTANCE PLAN. (a)��The
�	board shall develop a plan under which each public high school in
�	this state that is, as determined by the board in accordance with
�	board rule, substantially below the state average in the number of
�	graduates who attend public or private or independent institutions
�	of higher education is required to:
�	�������������(1)��provide to prospective students information
�	related to enrollment in public or private or independent
�	institutions of higher education, including admissions and
�	financial aid information; and
�	�������������(2)��assist those prospective students in completing
�	applications related to enrollment in those institutions,
�	including admissions and financial aid applications.
�	�������SECTION�7.��The purpose of the reforms provided for in this
�	Act is to continue and facilitate progress in general academic
�	teaching institutions in this state with regard to the racial,
�	ethnic, demographic, geographic, and rural/urban diversity of the
�	student bodies of those institutions in undergraduate, graduate,
�	and professional education, including the participation goals
�	identified in the "Closing the Gaps" initiative, the state's master
�	plan for higher education. Nothing in this Act prevents a general
�	academic teaching institution in this state from engaging in
�	appropriate individualized holistic review, consistent with that
�	purpose, for the admission of students who are not entitled to
�	automatic admission under Section 51.803, Education Code, as
�	amended by this Act.
�	�������SECTION�8.��The commissioner of education shall adopt a form
�	for notifying eligible high school seniors and their parents or
�	guardians of automatic college admission as required by Section
�	28.026, Education Code, as amended by this Act, as soon as
�	practicable after the effective date of this Act.
�	�������SECTION�9.��(a)��The Texas Higher Education Coordinating
�	Board shall adopt rules to administer Subchapter R, Chapter 56,
�	Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after
�	the effective date of this Act. For that purpose, the coordinating
�	board may adopt the initial rules in the manner provided by law for
�	emergency rules.
�	�������(b)��The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
�	begin awarding scholarships under Subchapter R, Chapter 56,
�	Education Code, as added by this Act, for the first academic year
�	for which money is appropriated for that purpose, except that the
�	coordinating board may not award scholarships under that subchapter
�	for an academic year before the 2010-2011 academic year.
�	�������SECTION�10.��Section 51.8035, Education Code, as added by
�	this Act, applies beginning with admissions to a general academic
�	teaching institution for the 2010 spring semester.
�	�������SECTION�11.��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, 2009.
�
�
�
�
�
�	______________________________	______________________________
�	���President of the Senate	Speaker of the House�����
�
�	�������I hereby certify that S.B.�No.�175 passed the Senate on
�	March�25,�2009, by the following vote: Yeas�24, Nays�7; and that
�	the Senate concurred in House amendments on May 30, 2009, by the
�	following vote: Yeas�27, Nays�4.
�
�
�	______________________________
�	Secretary of the Senate����
�
�	�������I hereby certify that S.B.�No.�175 passed the House, with
�	amendments, on May�26,�2009, by the following vote: Yeas�123,
�	Nays�20, two present not voting.
�
�
�	______________________________
�	Chief Clerk of the House���
�
�
�
�	Approved:
�
�	______________________________�
�	������������Date
�
�
�	______________________________�
�	����������Governor