SB 131

Menéndez Bill Makes Colleges Waive Tuition For Credits They Reject

Filed

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review

Initial review · graded Nov 9, 2026 · How we grade

Caption

relating to the enforcement of certain requirements regarding the transfer of course credit between public institutions of higher education.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Refuse a transfer student’s credits? Waive tuition and fees for every one of those hours. Starts 2027-2028.

The bill requires a Texas public college or university that takes in a transfer student to waive tuition and required fees for as many credit hours as it refuses to count toward the student's degree, or counts only as electives. This covers core curriculum and field of study credits earned at the sending school, plus credit awarded there for Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate scores. Receiving schools absorb the cost of credits they decline to honor, and the state higher education board gets explicit power to write rules to make schools comply, starting with the 2027-2028 academic year.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R SB 453 (Did not pass) and 89R SB 199 (Died in committee). Checked against 88R and 89R only.BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 89R SB 199 (Died in committee). Filed in 3 sessions, counting this one. Checked against 88R and 89R only.TRY NO. 3. Filed in 3 sessions: 88R, 89R and 90R. Checked against 88R and 89R only.

Receipt

The receipt

90R-SB131 · 2026-11-09

SOLD BY

Sen. José MenéndezDSenate 26

ITEM

relating to the enforcement of certain requirements regarding the transfer of course credit between public institutions of higher education.

WHAT IT DOES

Refuse a transfer student’s credits? Waive tuition and fees for every one of those hours. Starts 2027-2028.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

Nov 9, 2026Received by the Secretary of the Senate
Nov 9, 2026Filed

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

José Menéndez

Donors

Kickapoo Traditional Tribes of Texas$25K Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$20K Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee$10K

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 · Jul 2, 2024 to Oct 5, 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.

Kickapoo Traditional Tribes of Texas$25,000.00

Kickapoo Traditional Tribes of Texas

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · on Jan 22, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Jan 22, 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.

Report IDs: 101065471.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$20,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$20,000.00

Cash: $20,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $20,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Oct 5, 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.

Report IDs: 101012370, 101032316, 101072614.

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee$10,000.00

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$10,000.00

Cash: $10,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $10,000.00

Also funds 140 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 2, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Dec 2, 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: 101032316.

Money

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

Kickapoo Traditional Tribes of Texas

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · on Jan 22, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Jan 22, 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.

Report IDs: 101065471.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$20,000.00

Cash: $20,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $20,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Oct 5, 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.

Report IDs: 101012370, 101032316, 101072614.

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$10,000.00

Cash: $10,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $10,000.00

Also funds 140 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 2, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Dec 2, 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: 101032316.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by a super-expensive superintelligence, Nov 9, 2026, against the published rubric.

FILED BEFORE

Filed 3 times: 88R, 89R and now. Checked against 88R and 89R only.

88R SB 453

by Sen. Menéndez, same lead author · Did not pass · reworked

Introduced text

Last action, Feb 17, 2023: Referred to s/c on Higher Education by Pres

Relating to the enforcement of certain requirements regarding the transfer of course credit between public institutions of higher education.

Caption, 88R bill history

89R SB 199

by Sen. Menéndez, same lead author · Died in committee · same text

Introduced text

Last action, Feb 3, 2025: Referred to Education K-16

Relating to the enforcement of certain requirements regarding the transfer of course credit between public institutions of higher education.

Caption, 89R bill history

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Nov 9, 2026

11/09/2026 S Filed

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Nov 10, 2026 at 2:40 AM CST. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Subjects

Education--Higher--Admission & Attendance

Education--Higher--Institutions & Programs

TRANSFER STUDENTS

HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD, TEXAS

Text

The text as introduced · 305 words

90R2932 AND-F

By: Menéndez
S.B. No. 131

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the enforcement of certain requirements regarding the

transfer of course credit between public institutions of higher

education.

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

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

amended by adding Section 61.8232 to read as follows:

Sec. 61.8232. WAIVER OF TUITION AND FEES FOR COURSE CREDIT

NOT TRANSFERRED TOWARD DEGREE PROGRAM. Notwithstanding any other

provision, an institution of higher education that admits a student

transferring from another institution of higher education shall

waive the tuition and required fees that would otherwise be imposed

for the student for a number of semester credit hours equal to the

number of semester credit hours for which the receiving institution

does not award the student academic credit toward the student's

degree program or awards only elective credit that were:

(1) earned by the student in the core curriculum or a

field of study curriculum of the sending institution; or

(2) awarded by the sending institution for:

(A) achieving required scores on an Advanced

Placement examination; or

(B) achieving required scores on an examination

for courses constituting the International Baccalaureate Diploma

Program and successfully completing the program.

SECTION 2. Section 61.827(a), Education Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(a) The board is authorized to adopt rules implementing the

provisions of this subchapter , including rules to ensure compliance

with this subchapter .

SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2027-2028

academic year.

SECTION 4. 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, 2027.