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House Bill 544 |
House Author: Strama et al. |
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Effective: Vetoed |
Senate Sponsor: Watson |
The Education Code allows a public junior college district to lower the nonresident tuition and fees for a student who lives outside the district if the student lives within the district's service area and demonstrates financial need in accordance with Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rules. House Bill 544 deletes a provision that prohibited the reduction for students who live in an independent school district that meets certain board criteria for the creation of a junior college district.
Reason Given for Veto: "House Bill No. 544 would allow community colleges to offer in-district tuition rates to out-of-district students who have financial need. This is objectionable because taxpayers in the district should not foot the bill for students who live outside the district. A better alternative would be for communities within a service area of a community college to join the district and therefore pay their fair share of the costs of educating their citizens."