BILL ANALYSIS


                                                        H.B. 1836
                                          By: Lewis, R. (Ratliff)
                                                          Finance
                                                         05-25-95
                              Senate Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND

Current law exempts students from Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico
and Oklahoma from paying out-of-state tuition at Texas public
junior colleges or technical institutes that are in counties
immediately adjacent to the above-mentioned states. This exemption
prevents the loss of students and tuition fees for schools that
draw from neighboring states. When Texas tuition rises, many out-of-state residents withdraw from schools due to the inability to
accommodate costs of higher tuition.

Lamar University Institute of Technology, Lamar University at
Orange, and Lamar University at Port Arthur are not included in
this exempting language. These are two-year institutions in
counties immediately adjacent to the State of Louisiana. The lower
tuition exemption might increase the enrollment at each of these
campuses.

PURPOSE

As proposed, H.B. 1836 includes the Lamar University System in the
public institutions at which certain residents of bordering states
are not required to pay nonresident tuition fees.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not grant any
additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or
agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 54.060, Education Code, by amending
Subsections (a) and (e) and adding Subsections (f), (g), and (h),
as follows:

     (a) Provides that the nonresident tuition fee prescribed in
     this chapter does not apply to a nonresident student who is a
     resident of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, or Oklahoma and
     who registers in a two-year institution in the Lamar
     University System, Texas public junior college, or public
     technical institute, rather than as defined by Section 61.003
     of this code, situated in a county adjacent to the state in
     which the nonresident student resides. Makes a conforming
     change.
     
     (e) Makes conforming changes.
     
     (f) Provides that the nonresident tuition fee prescribed by
     this chapter does not apply to a nonresident student who is a
     resident of a county or parish of Arkansas, Louisiana, New
     Mexico, or Oklahoma that is adjacent to this state and who
     registers in an institution of higher education, the governing
     board of which has agreed to admit the student at the resident
     tuition fee prescribed by this chapter. Requires the state in
     which the student resides to allow a resident of a county of
     this state that is adjacent to that state to register in a
     public institution of higher education in that state at the
     tuition fee charged residents of that state. Requires the
     student to pay tuition equal to that charged residents of this
     state at the institution.
     
     (g) Defines "public technical institute" and "two-year
     institution in the Lamar University System."
     
     (h) Provides that if legislation enacted by the 74th
     Legislature, Regular Session, 1995, transferring the
     governance of a two-year institution in the Lamar University
     System to another board of regents becomes law, the
     institution is considered to be an institution in the Lamar
     University System. Provides that if no legislation enacted by
     the 74th Legislature, Regular Session, 1995, transferring the
     governance of a two-year institution in the Lamar University
     System to another board of regents becomes law, this
     subsection expires January 1, 1996.
     
     SECTION 2.     Provides that this Act applies beginning with tuition
charged for the fall semester of 1995.

SECTION 3. Emergency clause.
           Effective date: upon passage.