BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 2994 By: Dukes 03-28-95 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND As early as 1987, several registered student organizations at the University of Austin initiated the proposal for a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The project went through several alternative funding discussions which initially included private fundraising. Permission to proceed with the 5-year fundraising effort was approved by the U. T. System Board of Regents on December 6, 1990. Since then, the original organizers have graduated, fundraising efforts have lagged, and a new solution involving student fees was developed. A student referendum was held and approved in March, 1995 to support a $1 student fee to fund the construction of a Martin Luther King, Jr. statue on the east mall of the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. The fee will expire four years after the effective date. Of the 1,721 votes cast in the referendum, 61% voted yes and 39% voted no. PURPOSE H.B. 2994, as substituted would authorize The University of Texas System Board of Regents to levy a $1 student fee to fund the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue at The University of Texas at Austin. The fee would expire on August 31, 1999. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 54E, Education Code, by adding Section 54.5133 to read as follows: Sec. 54.5133. MARTIN LUTHER KING STATUE FEE: THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN. (a) Authorizes the board of regents of The University of Texas System to levy a fee of $1 per student for any semester or summer session for students registered at The University of Texas at Austin. The fee shall be used for funding the construction of a Martin Luther King, Jr. statue on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin and to establish Martin Luther King, Jr. scholarships. (b) Authorizes that the fees collected shall be deposited into the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue fee account for the purposes outlined in subsection (a). SECTION 2. Effective date: Fall semester, 1995. Expires on August 31, 1999 or when sufficient funds have been collected for the statue. SECTION 3. Emergency clause. COMPARISON OF SUBSTITUTE TO ORIGINAL SECTION 1 amends Chapter 54 E, Education Code, by adding Section 54.5133 (a) as follows: The fee shall be used for the construction while the original bill stated that the funding may be used for this purpose. In the substitute, the Martin Luther King, Jr. student scholarship is established. SECTION 2 allows for the fee authorized by Sec. 54.5133 to expire on August 31, 1999 or when sufficient funds for the statue have been collected, whichever comes first. SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE ACTION H.B. 2994 was considered by the committee in a public hearing on April 4, 1995. The chair recognized Representative Dawnna Dukes to explain the bill. The committee considered a complete substitute for the bill. The chair recognized Representative Dawnna Dukes to close. The bill was left pending. H.B. 2994 was considered by the committee in a public hearing on April 4, 1995. An 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 and be sent to the Committee on Local and Consent Calendars, by a record vote of 7 ayes, 0 nays, 0 pnv, 2 absent.