HBA-AMW C.S.S.B. 179 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.S.B. 179 By: Fraser Higher Education 4/4/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law provides that each undergraduate student who enters a public institution of higher education must take the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) test or Stanford Achievement Test before enrolling in college-level course work. C.S.S.B. 179 exempts a student who is a member of the United States armed forces or a dependant of a member of the United States armed forces from taking the TASP test or the Stanford Achievement Test, as appropriate. 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 C.S.S.B. 179 amends the Education Code to add a student who is a member of the United States armed forces or a dependant of a member of the United States armed forces to the list of students who are exempt from taking the Texas Academic Skills Program test. The bill exempts a deaf student who is a member of the United States armed forces or a dependant of a member of the United States armed forces from taking the Stanford Achievement Test. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001. The bill applies only to students who enroll for a semester or term that begins on or after the effective date of the bill. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.S.B. 179 differs from the original bill by exempting a student who is a member of the United States armed forces or a dependant of a member of the United States armed forces, rather than a student who is serving on active duty as a member of the United States armed forces, from the Texas Academic Skills Program test and the Stanford Achievement Test. The substitute removes the provision in the original bill which provided that the student on active duty must not be seeking a degree or certificate. The substitute differs from the original bill by exempting a student who is a citizen of a country other than the United States and is not seeking a degree, rather than who is not seeking a degree or certificate. The substitute provides that the bill applies only to students who enroll for a semester or term that begins on or after the effective date of the bill.