1-1     By:  Coleman (Senate Sponsor - Ellis)                 H.B. No. 2933

 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 27, 1997;

 1-3     April 29, 1997, read first time and referred to Committee on

 1-4     Finance; May 9, 1997, reported favorably by the following vote:

 1-5     Yeas 11, Nays 0; May 9, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-7                                   AN ACT

 1-8     relating to the establishment of a recreational facility fee at

 1-9     Texas Southern University.

1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-11           SECTION 1.  Subchapter E, Chapter 54, Education Code, is

1-12     amended by adding Section 54.5221 to read as follows:

1-13           Sec. 54.5221.  RECREATIONAL FACILITY FEE; TEXAS SOUTHERN

1-14     UNIVERSITY.  (a)  The board of regents of Texas Southern University

1-15     may levy and collect a recreational facility fee not to exceed $50

1-16     per student for each semester of the regular term or the summer

1-17     session from each student enrolled in Texas Southern University,

1-18     for the sole purpose of constructing, operating, maintaining,

1-19     improving, and equipping a recreational facility or program at the

1-20     institution. A fee collected under this section is in addition to

1-21     any other use or service fee authorized to be levied.

1-22           (b)  The fees collected under this section shall be deposited

1-23     to the credit of an account known as the "Texas Southern University

1-24     recreational facility fee account" and shall be under the control

1-25     of the student fee advisory committee established under Section

1-26     54.5031.

1-27           (c)  The student fee advisory committee annually shall submit

1-28     to the board of regents a complete and itemized budget for the

1-29     recreational facility with a complete report of all recreational

1-30     facility activities conducted during the past year and all

1-31     expenditures made in connection with those activities.  The board

1-32     of regents may make changes in the budget that the board determines

1-33     are necessary.  After approving the budget, the board of regents,

1-34     in accordance with this section, may levy the recreational facility

1-35     fees for that year in amounts sufficient to meet the budgetary

1-36     needs of the recreational facility.  If the budget approved by the

1-37     board contains an expenditure for the construction of a facility,

1-38     the board may contract for the construction of the facility.

1-39           (d)  The board may not increase the amount of the

1-40     recreational facility fee by more than 10 percent in any academic

1-41     year unless the amount of the increase is approved by a majority of

1-42     the students voting in an election held for that purpose or by a

1-43     majority of the student government of the institution.

1-44           (e)  A fee levied under this section may not be considered in

1-45     determining the maximum student services fee that may be charged

1-46     under Section 54.503(b).

1-47           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only

1-48     to a fee imposed for a semester or summer session that begins on or

1-49     after the effective date of this Act.

1-50           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-51     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-52     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-53     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

1-54     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

1-55     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

1-56     passage, and it is so enacted.

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