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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to curriculum requirements in political science and |
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American history at institutions of higher education. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 51.301(a), Education Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(a) Every college and university receiving state support or |
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state aid from public funds shall give a course of instruction in |
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government or political science which includes consideration of the |
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Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the |
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states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. This course shall |
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have a credit value of not less than three [six] semester hours or |
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its equivalent. Except as provided by Subsection (c), a college or |
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university receiving state support or state aid from public funds |
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may not grant a baccalaureate degree or a lesser degree or academic |
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certificate to any person unless the person has credit for such a |
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course. The college or university may determine that a student has |
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satisfied this requirement in whole or in part on the basis of |
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credit granted to the student by the college or university for a |
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substantially equivalent course completed at another accredited |
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college or university or on the basis of the student's successful |
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completion of an advanced standing examination administered on the |
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conditions and under the circumstances common for the college or |
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university's advanced standing examinations. The college or |
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university may grant as much as three semester hours of credit or |
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its equivalent toward satisfaction of this requirement for |
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substantially equivalent work completed by the student in the |
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program of an approved senior R.O.T.C. unit. |
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SECTION 2. Section 51.302(b), Education Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), a college or |
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university receiving state support or state aid from public funds |
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may not grant a baccalaureate degree or a lesser degree or academic |
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certificate to any person unless the person has credit for three |
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[six] semester hours or its equivalent in American History. A |
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student is entitled to submit as much as three semester hours of |
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credit or its equivalent in Texas History toward [in partial] |
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satisfaction of this requirement. The college or university may |
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determine that a student has satisfied this requirement in whole or |
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part on the basis of credit granted to the student by the college or |
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university for a substantially equivalent course completed at |
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another accredited college or university, or on the basis of the |
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student's successful completion of an advanced standing |
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examination administered on the conditions and under the |
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circumstances common for the college or university's advanced |
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standing examinations. The college or university may grant as much |
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as three semester hours of credit or its equivalent toward |
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satisfaction of this requirement for substantially equivalent work |
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completed by a student in the program of an approved senior R.O.T.C. |
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unit. |
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SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act to Sections |
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51.301(a) and 51.302(b), Education Code, apply only to the |
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curriculum requirements for a degree or certificate awarded by an |
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institution of higher education on or after the effective date of |
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this Act. The curriculum requirements for a degree or certificate |
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awarded by an institution of higher education before the effective |
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date of this Act are governed by the law in effect immediately |
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before that date, and the former law is continued in effect for that |
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purpose. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |