HBA-LJP H.B. 1417 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1417
By: Jones, Jesse
Higher Education
3/7/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Laws pertaining to the University of North Texas System have been
introduced piecemeal into legislation, and as a result the language of
current law may not be uniform.  In addition, the current University of
North Texas System Center (center) at Dallas offers junior, senior, and
graduate courses.  However, to meet the needs of the diverse population of
the city of Dallas, the center may eventually need to be established as a
full undergraduate university.  House Bill 1417 establishes the University
of North Texas at Dallas and restructures provisions relating to the
University of North Texas System. 

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. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 1417 amends the Education Code to establish and to incorporate
the University of North Texas at Dallas into the University of North Texas
System (system) as a four-year undergraduate and graduate coeducational
institution of higher education located in the city of Dallas on property
designated by the board of regents of the system (board) (Secs. 105.001 and
105.451). 

The bill requires the board to appoint a chancellor who serves as chief
executive officer of the system and to appoint a qualified president of
each component institution of the system who serves as chief executive
officer of the institution (Sec. 105.102).  The bill authorizes the board
to make joint appointments in the component institutions of the system,
with the salary to be apportioned to the appointing institution on the
basis of services rendered (Sec. 105.109). 

The bill sets forth and modifies the powers and duties of the board (Sec.
105.101).  The bill authorizes the board to delegate to an employee of the
system the authority to negotiate, execute, and approve a contract with the
system (Sec. 105.108). 

The bill provides that the venue for a suit filed solely against the
University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth or its
officers or employees is in Tarrant County and the venue for a suit filed
solely against officers or employees of the University of North Texas at
Dallas or the University of North Texas at Dallas is in Dallas County (Sec.
105.151). 

The bill sets forth provisions relating to concurrent jurisdiction with
municipal police, assistance to municipal police, and delegation of
municipal parking regulation authority that apply to all the institutions
in the system (Secs. 105.152-105.154). 

The bill authorizes the board to provide authorization for the
establishment of a research park by one or more component institutions of
the system.  The bill also authorizes the administrator of the park to use
private or public entities for scientific and technological research and
development in the surrounding region (Sec. 105.110). 
 
If the board determines that a class with more than 30 students for each
classroom teacher at the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (academy)
would contribute to the educational development of the students in the
class, then the bill authorizes the class size to exceed the required
pupil-teacher ratio limit (Sec. 105.303).  The bill also provides that if a
civil suit based on an action or omission by an employee of the academy in
the course of the employee's employment is filed, then the employee's
liability is limited to the liability of a public servant (Sec. 105.308). 

The bill repeals certain provisions relating to the University of North
Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth and the University of North Texas
(SECTION 1). 

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2001.