BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 628 By: Maxey 05-03-95 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND Presently, graduate students employed as teaching assistants and research assistants are entitled to register in a state institution of higher education by paying the tuition and fees and other fees or charges required for Texas residents under Section 54.051 of the Education Code. Graduate students are required to prepare a master's report, a master's thesis, or a doctoral dissertation as the final project to complete their degree. Graduate student employees are further required, as a condition of employment, to be registered and pay tuition for at least nine semester hours. Typically, graduate students discuss work on their final projects with their faculty advisors only three or four times a semester. Yet, they are required to pay the same amount of tuition as they did when they were receiving nine hours of classroom instruction per week. Therefore, graduate student employees preparing their final projects are paying for more faculty time than they are receiving. PURPOSE If enacted, C.S.H.B. 628 allows the governing board of a general academic teaching institution to exempt graduate students who are employed by Texas public universities as teaching assistants, assistant instructors, and research assistants and are working on reports, thesis and dissertations from paying tuition fees. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1: Amends Chapter 54B, Education Code, by amending Section 54.063, as follows: Sec. 54.063. TEACHING OR RESEARCH ASSISTANT. (b) The governing board of a general academic teaching institution may exempt from the payment of tuition fees a graduate student who is employed at the institution as a teaching assistant, assistant instructor, or research assistant; is researching or writing the report, thesis, or dissertation required by the student's graduate degree program; and who is not enrolled in a course with organized coursework. (c) A student considered to be enrolled as a full-time student for purposes of repayment of student loans if the student is entitled to an exemption from tuition fees under Subsection (b); or would be entitled to an exemption from tuition fees under Subsection (b) except that the student is enrolled in a course with organized coursework. (d) The legislature shall compute the local funds available as if the tuition fees were collected by the institution. (e) "General academic teaching institution" is defined. SECTION 2: Effective date: fall semester 1995. SECTION 3: Emergency clause. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE The original bill (SECTION 1, sec. 54.063 (b)) requires the governing board of an institution to exempt graduate students under this section from the payment of tuition fees. The substitute is permissive and allows the governing board of a general academic teaching institution to exempt from the payment of tuition fees. SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE ACTION H.B. 628 was considered by the committee in a public hearing on February 21, 1995. The following persons testified in favor of the bill: Mr. Christopher Hudson; Ms. Christine Griffith; Mr. Ray Watkins; and Mr. Robert Brian Schlottman. The bill was referred to the subcommittee on tuition exemptions consisting of Representative Rodriguez as chair and Representatives Goolsby and Ogden as members. H.B. 628 was considered by the subcommittee in a public hearing on April 26, 1995. The subcommittee considered a complete substitute. One amendment was offered to the substitute. The amendment was adopted without objection by a non-record vote. The substitute as amended was adopted without objection by a non-record vote. The substitute as amended was adopted without objection by a non-record vote. The bill as substituted was reported favorably to the full committee by a record vote of 3 ayes, 0 nays, 0 pnv, 0 absent. H.B. 628 was considered on subcommittee report by the committee in a formal meeting on May 3, 1995. The committee considered a complete substitute. One amendment was offered to the substitute. The amendment was adopted without objection by a non-record vote. The substitute as amended was adopted without objection by a non-record vote. The chair directed the staff to incorporate the amendment into the substitute. The bill was reported favorably as substituted, with the recommendation that it do pass and be printed, by a record vote of 5 ayes, 1 nay, 0 pnv, 3 absent.