I originally prepared this post several hours ago based on a press release by Senator Shapiro that stated that both the House and the Senate passed Senate Bill 101 today which would have made significant changes to the top 10% admissions rule. Below are the highlights from the conference committee report showing the changes that would have been made.
Unfortunately, SB 101 just failed to pass in the House by a vote of 64 - 75. I will post a list of the House members who voted against this bill once it is available.
** Update 11:38p 5/27:
AYES - 64
Anderson(R); Aycock(R); Berman(R); Bohac(R); Bolton(D); Bonnen(R); Brown, Betty(R); Brown, Fred(R); Callegari(R); Christian(R); Cohen(D); Corte(R); Crabb(R); Creighton(R); Crownover(R); Darby(R); Davis, John(R); Delisi(R); Driver(R); Dunnam(D); Eissler(R); Elkins(R); Flynn(R); Gattis(R); Goolsby(R); Hancock(R); Hardcastle(R); Harless(R); Harper-Brown(R); Hartnett(R); Hill(R); Howard, Charlie(R); Howard, Donna(D); Jackson, Jim(R); King, Phil(R); King, Susan(R); Krusee(R); Kuempel(R); Latham(R); Laubenberg(R); Macias(R); Madden(R); McCall(R); Morrison(R); Murphy(R); O'Day(R); Parker(R); Patrick, Diane(R); Paxton(R); Raymond(D); Riddle(R); Rose(D); Smith, Todd(R); Smith, Wayne(R); Solomons(R); Strama(D); Straus(R); Taylor(R); Truitt(R); Van Arsdale(R); Vaught(D); Woolley(R); Zedler(R); Zerwas(R)
NAYS - 75
Allen, Alma(D); Alonzo(D); Anchia(D); Bailey(D); Burnam(D); Castro(D); Chavez(D); Chisum(R); Coleman(D); Cook, Byron(R); Cook, Robby(D); Davis, Yvonne(D); Deshotel(D); Dukes(D); Dutton(D); Eiland(D); England(R); Escobar(D); Farabee(D); Farias(D); Farrar(D); Flores(D); Frost(D); Gallego(D); Garcia(D); Giddings(D); Gonzales(D); Gonzalez Toureilles(D); Guillen(D); Haggerty(R); Hamilton(R); Heflin(D); Hernandez(D); Herrero(D); Hochberg(D); Hodge(D); Homer(D); Hopson(D); Hughes(R); Jones, Delwin(R); Keffer(R); King, Tracy(D); Leibowitz(D); Lucio(D); Mallory Caraway(D); Martinez(D); Martinez Fischer(D); McClendon(D); McReynolds(D); Menendez(D); Merritt(R); Miles(D); Miller(R); Moreno, Paul(D); Mowery(R); Naishtat(D); Noriega(D); Oliveira(D); Olivo(D); Orr(R); Ortiz(D); Otto(R); Pena(D); Phillips(R); Pickett(D); Pitts(R); Puente(D); Quintanilla(D); Rodriguez(D); Smithee(R); Swinford(R); Veasey(D); Villarreal(D); Vo(D); West, Buddy(R)
PRESENT-NOT-VOTING - 3
Craddick(R); Ritter(D); Turner(D)
ABSENT - 8
\Branch(R); Geren(R); Hilderbran(R); Isett(R); Kolkhorst(R); Pierson(D); Talton(R); Thompson(D)
** Update 12:48a: The House just adjourned. SB101 is officially dead.
_____________________________________________________________________________
by Senator Florence Shapiro and Representative Geanie Morrison
80th Legislative Session
SB 101, as proposed by the conference committee, does the following:
- Requires that every student, to be considered for automatic admission, must complete the recommended or advanced high school curriculum.
- This bill puts a cap on automatic admissions. 50% of the incoming class must be admitted based on Top 10%, and an additional 10% of students out of the Top 10% must be admitted based on a holistic review.
- If the student in the top 10% of their class does not get into their first choice school because of the cap, then the student is automatically admitted to their second choice within that system
- Institutions must adopt a written policy on recruiting and retention of underrepresented groups, and seek the input of community leaders when making these policy decisions
- The institutions must inform schools on the projected percentile cap level and the schools must inform 9th graders of the change in the law.
- Sunsets the cap on August 31, 2015 and returns the Top Ten Percent to its original form.
- Institutions must publish an annual report describing the composition of their class and any plans or policies used to recruit underrepresented students.
How the proposed CCR is different from the Senate engrossed version:
- The universities shall demonstrate a commitment to providing opportunities for underrepresented groups and minorities, including increased diversity in faculty and staff.
- The new cap takes affect for the 2009-10 entering first year students.
- If the student is in the Top 10%, they have the opportunity to defer and take up to two years of classes at another institution. If the student maintains a 3.25 GPA at that institution, the student may then automatically transfer to the institution of their choice.
- Deletes the scholarship for automatic admissions students that only applies to those schools participating in the cap.
SB 101 ON THE WAY TO THE GOVERNOR
(Austin, Texas)-- State Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-District 8, today sent her Top 10 Percent
legislation to the Governor's desk, after the conference committee report was adopted by both
chambers.
"Texas' Top 10 percent law has outgrown its effectiveness," Shapiro said, "and, as a
result, we have handicapped Texas colleges and universities from admitting a well-rounded,
diverse, intelligent and competitive student body."
Senate Bill 101 addresses these concerns by capping automatic admissions into public
colleges and universities. Half of an incoming freshman class must be admitted based on
Top 10 percent, with an additional 10 percent of students' admissions based on a holistic
review.
The bill also requires that every student considered for automatic admission must
complete the recommended or advanced high school curriculum. Furthermore, if a top 10
percent student does not get into their first choice school because of the cap, the student is
automatically admitted to their second choice within that system.
"Students are not one-dimensional," Shapiro said. " Admission exclusively on the basis
of a single criterion--class rank--creates an unfair imbalance among Texas high school
graduates. Senate Bill 101 addresses that imbalance, by allowing universities the flexibility
to admit students based on a number of factors, rather than just class rank, while still
maintaining the significant reward system under the current Top 10 percent law."
Other components of the final bill include a requirement for institutions of higher
education to adopt a written policy on recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups,
and seek the input of community leaders when making these policy decisions.
These institutions must also inform schools on the projected percentile cap level and the
schools must inform students in the 9th grade of the change in the law. Finally, the bill
sunsets the cap on August 31, 2015 and returns the Top Ten Percent to its original form.
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