1-1  By:  Lucio                                             S.B. No. 579
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed March 2, 1993; March 3, 1993, read
    1-3  first time and referred to Committee on Education; March 17, 1993,
    1-4  reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the
    1-5  following vote:  Yeas 10, Nays 0; March 17, 1993, sent to printer.)
    1-6                            COMMITTEE VOTE
    1-7                          Yea     Nay      PNV      Absent 
    1-8        Ratliff            x                               
    1-9        Haley              x                               
   1-10        Barrientos                                     x   
   1-11        Bivins             x                               
   1-12        Harris of Tarrant  x                               
   1-13        Luna               x                               
   1-14        Montford           x                               
   1-15        Shapiro            x                               
   1-16        Sibley             x                               
   1-17        Turner             x                               
   1-18        Zaffirini          x                               
   1-19  COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 579                By:  Zaffirini
   1-20                         A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
   1-21                                AN ACT
   1-22  relating to a student union building fee at The University of
   1-23  Texas--Pan American.
   1-24        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
   1-25        SECTION 1.  Subchapter E, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
   1-26  amended by adding Section 54.541 to read as follows:
   1-27        Sec. 54.541.  STUDENT UNION BUILDING FEE; THE UNIVERSITY OF
   1-28  TEXAS--PAN AMERICAN.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (c) of
   1-29  this section, the board of regents of The University of Texas
   1-30  System may levy a student union fee, not to exceed $30 for each
   1-31  student for each regular semester or $15 for each student for each
   1-32  term of the summer session, for the sole purpose of financing,
   1-33  constructing, operating, maintaining, and improving a student union
   1-34  building for The University of Texas--Pan American.
   1-35        (b)  The board of regents may pledge the fees levied under
   1-36  this section to pay obligations issued pursuant to the revenue
   1-37  financing system of The University of Texas System.
   1-38        (c)  A student union fee levied under this section may not be
   1-39  levied or increased unless the levy or increase is approved by a
   1-40  majority vote of those students participating in a general election
   1-41  held for that purpose.
   1-42        (d)  Student union fees levied under this section are in
   1-43  addition to any other fee the board of regents is authorized by law
   1-44  to charge and may not be considered in determining the maximum
   1-45  student services fee that may be charged under Section 54.503(b) of
   1-46  this code.
   1-47        (e)  The board shall deposit student union fees levied under
   1-48  this section to the credit of an account known as The University of
   1-49  Texas--Pan American Student Union Fee Account.
   1-50        (f)  Notwithstanding Section 51.002 of this code, student
   1-51  union fees levied under this section are under the control of the
   1-52  Student Union Advisory Committee.  The committee annually shall
   1-53  submit to the president of The University of Texas--Pan American a
   1-54  complete and itemized budget with a complete report of all
   1-55  activities conducted during the past year and all expenditures made
   1-56  in connection with those activities.  The president shall submit
   1-57  the budget to the board of regents as part of the institutional
   1-58  budget.  Before approving the budget, the board of regents may make
   1-59  changes in the budget that the board determines are necessary.
   1-60  After approving the budget, the board, in accordance with this
   1-61  section, may levy the student union fees for that year in amounts
   1-62  sufficient to meet the budgetary needs of the student union
   1-63  building.
   1-64        SECTION 2.  The fee authorized by Section 54.541, Education
   1-65  Code, as added by this Act, applies beginning with the fall
   1-66  semester 1993 if the fee is approved by majority vote of those
   1-67  students participating in a general election held for that purpose.
   1-68        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
    2-1  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-2  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-3  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-4  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
    2-5  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
    2-6  passage, and it is so enacted.
    2-7                               * * * * *
    2-8                                                         Austin,
    2-9  Texas
   2-10                                                         March 17, 1993
   2-11  Hon. Bob Bullock
   2-12  President of the Senate
   2-13  Sir:
   2-14  We, your Committee on Education to which was referred S.B. No. 579,
   2-15  have had the same under consideration, and I am instructed to
   2-16  report it back to the Senate with the recommendation that it do not
   2-17  pass, but that the Committee Substitute adopted in lieu thereof do
   2-18  pass and be printed.
   2-19                                                         Ratliff,
   2-20  Chairman
   2-21                               * * * * *
   2-22                               WITNESSES
   2-23                                                  FOR   AGAINST  ON
   2-24  ___________________________________________________________________
   2-25  Name:  Martin Torres                             x
   2-26  Representing:  UTPA Student body
   2-27  City:  Edinburg
   2-28  -------------------------------------------------------------------
   2-29  Name:  Miquel A Nevarez                          x
   2-30  Representing:  UT Pan American
   2-31  City:  Edinburg
   2-32  -------------------------------------------------------------------