HBA-KMH H.B. 2011 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2011 By: Cuellar Higher Education 3/11/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) was developed after the 1987 legislative session. It is a test that contains three sections: reading, writing, and mathematics. While one testing session last five hours, the individual sections are not timed and students may work on the sections in any order they choose. H.B. 2011 requires administering TASP in a time period that allows a student to complete the test while working at the student's own pace. This bill also requires the state to bear the cost of administering TASP to an eligible yet financially needy high school student, while requiring students not shown to be financially needy to bear the cost themselves. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 51.306(w), Education Code, to require the state to bear the cost of administering the Texas Academic Skills Program test to an eligible high school student shown to be financially needy under criteria established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (board) through the appropriation of funds for that purpose or other sources of funds. Requires an eligible high school student not shown to be financially needy to pay for the cost of taking the test unless funds are appropriated to pay for that cost. Makes conforming and nonsubstantive changes. SECTION 2. Amends Section 51.306, Education Code, by adding Subsection (x) to provide that the test required by this section must be administered in a time period that allows a student to complete the test while working at the student's own reasonable pace. Requires the board to prescribe the time period for administering the test. SECTION 3. Effective date: fall semester, 1999. SECTION 4. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.