MMA C.S.H.B. 63 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS HIGHER EDUCATION C.S.H.B. 63 By: Kamel 3-29-97 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND During the 74th Legislative Session, the Texas A&M University System and the Texas State University System were authorized by H.B. 3122 to begin an off-campus debit card program. The debit card program in place at Texas A&M University before the law went into effect allowed students to use a debit card to purchase books, food and other items on campus. Interest in the off-campus utilization of the debit card system has increased. PURPOSE C.S.H.B. 63 authorizes the governing board of an institution to establish a debit card program and permit off-campus use of the debit card. 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 Section 51.940, Education Code, as added by Chapter 316, Acts of the 74th Legislature, Regular Session, 1995, by deleting subsection (a) which defines this section to apply only to Texas A&M University System or a component of the Texas State University System. Changes the subsection sequence and makes conforming changes. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1997. SECTION 3. Emergency clause. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE H.B. 63 added language to include a component of The University of Texas System or a public junior college to the list of institutions who may establish a student debit card program. The C.S.H.B. 63, instead, deletes the subsection specifying the institutions who can implement such a program, thereby authorizing any governing board of an institution to establish a debit card program.