BILL ANALYSIS



C.S.S.B. 1320
By: Barrientos (Dukes)
04-13-95
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 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

As proposed, the C.S.S.B. 1320 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 or when sufficient
funds for the statue have been collected, whichever comes first.


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)  The fees collected shall be deposited into the Martin
Luther King, Jr. statue fee account for the purposes outlined in
(a).

SECTION 2.  Effective date:  Fall semester, 1995.  Expires on
August 31, 1999 or when sufficient funds for the statue have been
collected, whichever comes first.

SECTION 3. Emergency clause.



COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

The original bill in Subsection (b) states that the fee collected
from the students shall be used for the funding of the statue and
the establishment of the scholarship.  The substitute deletes the
section that would allow for any excess funds to be used to
establish the scholarship.  

The original bill in Section 2 indicates that the fee would expire
on August 31, 19999.  
The substitute provides for the fee to expire when funds for the
statue have been collected. 

SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE ACTION

S.B. 1320 was considered by the committee in a public hearing on
April 11, 1995.

The chair recognized Representative Dawnna Dukes to explain the
bill.

The chair recognized Representative Dawnna Dukes to close.

The committee considered a complete substitute for the bill.  The
substitute was adopted without objection by a non-record vote.

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 6
ayes, 0 nays, 0 pnv, 3 absent.