Texas Senate bill by Sen. Eckhardt allows selective disregard of recent academic credits

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt seeks to provide Texas public higher education institutions with the option to exclude academic credits or grades earned within a specific recent period, aiming to standardize admissions policies across institutions, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the Senate, 10 Democrats and 19 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while one Democrat opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the House, 59 Democrats and 78 Republicans voted in favor, while four Republicans voted against it.

Sarah Eckhardt introduced the bill in the Texas Senate on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, ahead of the official start of the 89th regular legislative session on Jan. 14, 2025.

Eckhardt graduated from New York University in 1986 with a BA and again in 1998 from University of Texas with a JD.

Eckhardt, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State Senate in 2020 to represent the state’s 14th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Kirk Watson.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the period for which an applicant for admission as an undergraduate student to a public institution of higher education is entitled to an academic fresh start’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill allows public institutions of higher education in Texas to disregard academic course credits or grades earned by applicants more recently than 10 years before the semester start date, with exceptions for grades earned within the past five years. Institutions choosing this option must disregard all credits from the specified period and cannot award any credits for those courses. Each institution is required to post and submit their admissions policy regarding this practice to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. This policy applies to admissions for the fall semester of 2025 and impacts future funding recommendations for baccalaureate degree programs. The act takes effect immediately if it receives sufficient legislative support, otherwise on Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Sen. Charles Perry (Republican – District 28), Sen. José Menéndez (Democrat – District 26), and Sen. Peter P. Flores (Republican – District 24), along with seven other authors.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Wednesday, April 23, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday, May 6.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.