Texas Senate Bill 1790

[MrMustang1965]

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/ ... N=1&TYPE=B

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the ability of football teams of general academic
teaching institutions to participate in certain postseason
intercollegiate competitions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 51.968 to read as follows:
Sec. 51.968. PROHIBITION REGARDING CERTAIN POSTSEASON
INTERCOLLEGIATE FOOTBALL COMPETITIONS. (a) In this section,
"general academic teaching institution" has the meaning assigned by
Section 61.003.
(b) The National Collegiate Athletic Association football
team of a general academic teaching institution may not participate
in an intercollegiate post-regular-season competition that is part
of a series that includes a national championship game unless that
competition is part of a national playoff system consisting of at
least 16 teams competing in successive elimination games resulting
in a final game for the national championship of that entire
division or level of intercollegiate competition.
(c) Except as provided by Subsection (d), this section
expires December 2, 2005.
(d) This section does not expire if a similar provision that
is in effect on December 1, 2005, is adopted on or before that date
by at least four of the following states: Alabama, Arizona,
California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina,
Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, and Washington.
SECTION 2. 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, 2005.

The author is Senator Jeff Wentworth. Senator Wentworth graduated from Alamo Heights High School, Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University School of Law.

[Peruna_Ate_My_Rolex]

Tax dollars at work, gotta love it. Where's my steroids legislation?

[ponyte]

Purely a symbolic act. One is hard pressed to imagine at least four other states enacting similar legisaltion. A nice way to get a little publicity. Is Sen. Wentworth from a district that has a non BCS school?

[MrMustang1965]

Purely a symbolic act. One is hard pressed to imagine at least four other states enacting similar legisaltion. A nice way to get a little publicity. Is Sen. Wentworth from a district that has a non BCS school?

Senator Wentworth represents Senate District 25. That's the following counties: part of Travis, Hays, Kendall, Comal, Guadalupe and part of Bexar.

[tmustangp]

Mr. Mustang, would you mind explaining this bill without the legal jargon.

[Dooby]

Wentworth's district has part of Austin (travis Co.) and San Antonio (Bexar Co.) and a big swath of the Hill Country.

This bill is a joke and won't pass. Wentworth doesn't even want it to pass. He is trying to make a point.

[MrMustang1965]

Mr. Mustang, would you mind explaining this bill without the legal jargon.

I'll explain it as best as I can the way it was explained to me.

"If a bill sponsored by state Sen. Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) were to pass through the Texas Legislature and similar bills would be adopted in other states, schools such as Texas, TAMU, Baylor and TT would no longer be eligible (outside of Baylor, who the state can not really dictate policy over since it is a private school) for a BCS bowl game unless the post-season competition for these teams "is part of a national playoff system consisting of at least 16 teams competing in successive elimination games resulting in a final game for the national championship of that entire division or level of intercollegiate competition." This all according to SB 1790.

An interesting provision is part of this bill. If a similar law is not enacted in at least four other states, then this legislation falls apart and expires the day before the BCS bids are handed out. According to this proposed legislation the laws in these four states must occur before December 1, 2005. The states noted on the bill all have at least two schools eligible for the BCS (with the exception of Colorado, as Colorado State is not in a BCS conference). Those states being, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, and Washington. States with one BCS school like Arkansas and Lousiana are not in this group.

While this bill is symbolic in nature, it shows that the politicos are part of the growing frustration that exists with the current system. There has in the past been a great deal of controversy surrounding the system which is intended to give us one national champion, though we've actually had split champions since the system was implemented to put the #1 and #2 schools on the field in a rotating championship game.

A little sidenote to this bill is that Sen. Wentworth was given clearance to file it a good two weeks after the filing deadline had passed. Enough Senators must join in per Senate tradition to allow for a bill to be filed following the deadline. Usually, bills do not have too much of a problem in getting this special permission in the Senate."

[Dement-ed]

Hasn't Mack Brown made sure his team won't play in a BCS bowl anyway (other than this year, when they backed in)?