Monitoring the Session

SB 2310

bill requiring colleges to post clear program requirements

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Angela PaxtonRSenate 8

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to transparency regarding requirements to complete a certificate or degree program at a public institution of higher education.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Rules due by January 1, 2026. Clear, current and matching.

The bill orders the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to write rules, by January 1, 2026, making public colleges and universities post clear, current and matching program requirements. Every public institution of higher education must list course prerequisites and non-course requirements for each certificate and degree, track by track, on its student site, its public website and the department's website, and must post its minimum transfer admission requirements. Starting with the 2026-2027 academic year, students and transfer applicants can find the same program rules in every official place instead of conflicting or outdated versions.

Labels

Labels: GOT HALFWAY. Passed the Senate on May 5, 2025. Died in the House: left pending in the Higher Education committee.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB2310 · 2025-03-11

SOLD BY

Sen. Angela PaxtonRSenate 8

+ 4 coauthors

ITEM

relating to transparency regarding requirements to complete a certificate or degree program at a public institution of higher education.

WHAT IT DOES

Rules due by January 1, 2026. Clear, current and matching.

The bill orders the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to write rules, by January 1, 2026, making public colleges and universities post clear, current and matching program requirements. Every public institution of higher education must list course prerequisites and non-course requirements for each certificate and degree, track by track, on its student site, its public website and the department's website, and must post its minimum transfer admission requirements. Starting with the 2026-2027 academic year, students and transfer applicants can find the same program rules in every official place instead of conflicting or outdated versions.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version S · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · April 23, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to Education K-16
  5. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  6. Considered in public hearing
  7. Testimony taken in committee
  8. Left pending in committee
  9. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  10. Considered in public hearing
  11. Vote taken in committee
  12. Reported favorably as substituted
  13. Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
  14. Committee report printed and distributed
  15. Co-author authorized
  16. Placed on intent calendar
  17. Co-author authorized
  18. Rules suspended-Regular order of business
  19. Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
  20. Vote recorded in Journal
  21. Three day rule suspended
  22. Record vote
  23. Read 3rd time
  24. Passed
  25. Record vote
  26. Reported engrossed
  27. Received from the Senate
  28. Read first time
  29. Referred to Higher Education
  30. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  31. Considered in public hearing
  32. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  33. Left pending in committee
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

Senate · 31 yea · 0 nay

Sources

Senate: Final passage · May 5, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Angela Paxton

Donors

James Stanton$47,500Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$40KGary Blake$30,000

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Oct 27, 2024 to Jun 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

James Stanton$47,500.00
Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$40,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$40,000.00

Cash
$40,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$40,000.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 11, 2024 to Jun 30, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100982305, 101012314.

Gary Blake$30,000.00
Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$40,000.00

Cash
$40,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$40,000.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 11, 2024 to Jun 30, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100982305, 101012314.

Votes3

Senate May 5, 2025

Yea
31
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Paxton moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 2310 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 31 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 5, 2025

Yea
31
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Paxton moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 2310 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 31 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 5, 2025

Yea
Not printed
Nay
Not printed
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Voice vote. No numeric tally or individual yeas are inferred.

Sources

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: Not printed
  • Nay: Not printed
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses10
For
3
Against
6
On
1
Names

For

  • Self1 registration
  • Self; Texas AFT1 registration
  • Texas Business Leadership Council1 registration

Against

  • Self6 registrations

On

  • Self1 registration
Sources

10 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

Senate witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version S · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · April 23, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Mar 11, 2025

05/13/2025 H Left pending in committee

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report · Engrossed

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Coauthors
César BlancoDSenate 29 Sarah EckhardtDSenate 14 Juan "Chuy" HinojosaDSenate 20 José MenéndezDSenate 26

House committee · Higher Education · Final status: Died in committee

Senate committee · Education K-16 · Committee vote 10 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Subjects

Education--Higher--Admission & Attendance

Education--Higher--Institutions & Programs

INTERNET

TRANSFER STUDENTS

HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD, TEXAS

Text

The text as introduced · 362 words

By: Paxton
S.B. No. 2310

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to transparency regarding requirements to complete a

certificate or degree program at a public institution of higher

education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is

amended by adding Section 61.07771 to read as follows:

Sec. 61.07771. TRANSPARENCY IN CERTIFICATE AND DEGREE

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS. (a) The board, in consultation with

institutions of higher education, shall adopt rules requiring

institutions of higher education to provide transparency in

certificate and degree program requirements for students enrolling

at or transferring to the institution.

(b) The rules must require each institution of higher

education to:

(1) ensure that the requirements for each certificate

or degree program offered by the institution:

(A) are current, accessible to students enrolled

at the institution and members of the public through the following

sources, as applicable, and uniform at each of the following

sources:

(i) the institution's internal Internet

website for students;

(ii) the institution's Internet website;

and

(iii) the Internet website of the

department at the institution that offers the certificate or degree

program; and

(B) state:

(i) the prerequisites for each course

required as part of the certificate or degree program; and

(ii) any non-course requirements for the

certificate or degree program and, if the institution offers

different tracks for completing the program, those requirements for

each track; and

(2) post on the institution's Internet website the

minimum requirements to be accepted as a transfer student at the

institution.

SECTION 2. (a) Not later than January 1, 2026, the Texas

Higher Education Coordinating Board shall adopt the rules required

by Section 61.07771, Education Code, as added by this Act.

(b) A public institution of higher education shall comply

with the rules adopted under Subsection (a) of this section

beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.