By Hirschi                                      H.B. No. 1583

      75R3246 JSA-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to tuition and fees charged to military personnel enrolled

 1-3     in certain courses at Midwestern State University.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 54.058(h), Education Code, is amended to

 1-6     read as follows:

 1-7           (h)  The governing board of Midwestern State University may

 1-8     set the resident and nonresident tuition rates for United States

 1-9     military  [Air Force] personnel [stationed outside the State of

1-10     Texas who are] enrolled in the bachelor of science or master of

1-11     science degree program in radiological sciences at Midwestern State

1-12     University at the rates the governing board considers appropriate,

1-13     notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, and may

1-14     exempt those military personnel from all or part of required fees

1-15     and charges while enrolled in one of those programs.  United States

1-16     military personnel enrolled in one of those programs by

1-17     instructional telecommunication are [will be] entitled to pay

1-18     tuition fees and  other fees or charges provided by the board for

1-19     United States military personnel residing in Texas [residents] if

1-20     they began the program while stationed at a military [an Air Force]

1-21     base or other installation in Texas as a member of the United

1-22     States Armed Forces.  In this subsection, "instructional

1-23     telecommunication" means instruction delivered primarily by

1-24     telecommunication technology, including open-channel television,

 2-1     cable television, closed-circuit television, low power television,

 2-2     communication and/or direct broadcast satellite, satellite master

 2-3     antenna system, microwave, videotape, videodisc, computer software,

 2-4     computer networks, and telephone lines.

 2-5           SECTION 2.  This Act applies beginning with fees and charges

 2-6     imposed for the 1997 fall semester.

 2-7           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-8     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-9     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-10     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-11     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-12     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-13     passage, and it is so enacted.