By Swinford H.R. No. 1260
75R17329 CAG-D
R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State
1-2 of Texas, 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997, That House Rule
1-3 13, Section 9(a), be suspended in part as provided by House Rule
1-4 13, Section 9(f), to enable the conference committee appointed to
1-5 resolve the differences on Senate Bill No. 1907 to consider and
1-6 take action on the following matters:
1-7 (1) House Rule 13, Section 9(a)(4), is suspended to permit
1-8 the committee to add new SECTIONS of the bill to read as follows:
1-9 SECTION 1.07. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
1-10 amended by adding Section 61.0595 to read as follows:
1-11 Sec. 61.0595. FUNDING FOR CERTAIN EXCESS UNDERGRADUATE
1-12 CREDIT HOURS. (a) In the formulas established under Section
1-13 61.059, the board may not include funding for semester credit hours
1-14 earned by a resident undergraduate student who before the semester
1-15 or other academic session begins has previously attempted 170 or
1-16 more semester credit hours for courses taken at any institution of
1-17 higher education while classified as a resident student for tuition
1-18 purposes.
1-19 (b) Subsection (a) does not apply to a student enrolled in:
1-20 (1) two or more baccalaureate degree programs at the
1-21 same time;
1-22 (2) a double major degree program that requires 130 or
1-23 more semester credits for completion; or
1-24 (3) a health professional baccalaureate degree
2-1 program.
2-2 (c) For a student enrolled in a baccalaureate program under
2-3 Section 51.931, semester credit hours earned by the student 10 or
2-4 more years before the date the student begins the new degree
2-5 program under Section 51.931 are not counted for purposes of
2-6 determining whether the student has previously earned the number of
2-7 semester credit hours specified by Subsection (a).
2-8 (d) The following are not counted for purposes of
2-9 determining whether the student has previously earned the number of
2-10 semester credit hours specified by Subsection (a):
2-11 (1) semester credit hours earned by the student before
2-12 receiving a baccalaureate degree that has previously been awarded
2-13 to the student;
2-14 (2) semester credit hours earned by the student by
2-15 examination or under any other procedure by which credit is earned
2-16 without registering for a course for which tuition is charged;
2-17 (3) credit for a remedial education course or another
2-18 course that does not count toward a degree program at the
2-19 institution; and
2-20 (4) semester credit hours earned by the student at a
2-21 private institution or an out-of-state institution.
2-22 SECTION 1.08. Subchapter B, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
2-23 amended by adding Section 54.068 to read as follows:
2-24 Sec. 54.068. TUITION FOR EXCESSIVE UNDERGRADUATE HOURS. An
2-25 institution of higher education may charge a resident student
2-26 tuition at a higher rate than the rate charged to other resident
2-27 students, not to exceed the rate charged to nonresident students,
3-1 for a course for which Section 61.0595 requires the coordinating
3-2 board to exclude funding for the semester credit hours for which
3-3 the student registers if the student has previously attempted 170
3-4 or more semester credit hours. In its appropriations to
3-5 institutions of higher education, the legislature shall compute the
3-6 local funds available to each institution as if the tuition
3-7 collected under this section were not collected.
3-8 SECTION 1.09. Subchapter A, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
3-9 amended by adding Section 54.0065 to read as follows:
3-10 Sec. 54.0065. TUITION REBATE FOR CERTAIN UNDERGRADUATES.
3-11 (a) A qualified student is eligible for a rebate of a portion of
3-12 the undergraduate tuition the student has paid if the student:
3-13 (1) is awarded a baccalaureate degree from a general
3-14 academic teaching institution; and
3-15 (2) has attempted no more than three hours in excess
3-16 of the minimum number of semester credit hours required to complete
3-17 the degree, including transfer credits and course credit earned
3-18 exclusively by examination.
3-19 (b) The amount of tuition to be rebated to a student under
3-20 this section is $1,000, unless the total amount of undergraduate
3-21 tuition paid by the student to the institution of higher education
3-22 awarding the degree was less than $1,000, in which event the amount
3-23 of tuition to be rebated is an amount equal to the amount of
3-24 undergraduate tuition paid by the student to the institution.
3-25 However, a student who paid the institution awarding the degree an
3-26 amount of undergraduate tuition less than $1,000 may qualify for an
3-27 increase in the amount of the rebate, not to exceed a total rebate
4-1 of $1,000, for any amount of undergraduate tuition the student paid
4-2 to other institutions of higher education by providing the
4-3 institution with proof of the total amount of that tuition paid to
4-4 other institutions of higher education.
4-5 (c) A student who has transferred from another institution
4-6 of higher education shall provide the institution awarding the
4-7 degree an official transcript from each institution attended by the
4-8 student in order that the total number of hours attempted by the
4-9 student can be verified.
4-10 (d) To qualify for a rebate under this section, the student
4-11 must have been a resident of this state and entitled to pay tuition
4-12 at the rate provided by this chapter for a resident student at all
4-13 times while pursuing the degree.
4-14 (e) All institutions of higher education shall notify each
4-15 first-time freshman student of the tuition rebate program.
4-16 (f) The institution awarding the degree shall pay the rebate
4-17 under this section from local funds.
4-18 (g) If a student entitled to a rebate under this section has
4-19 an outstanding student loan, including an emergency loan, owed or
4-20 guaranteed by this state, including the Texas Guaranteed Student
4-21 Loan Corporation, the institution shall apply the amount of the
4-22 rebate to the student's loan. If a student has more than one
4-23 outstanding loan, the institution shall apply the amount of the
4-24 rebate to the loans as directed by the student or, if the student
4-25 fails to provide timely instructions on the application of the
4-26 amount, the institution shall apply the amount of the rebate to the
4-27 loans according to priorities established by the coordinating
5-1 board. If the amount of the rebate exceeds the amount of the loan
5-2 indebtedness, the institution shall pay the student the excess
5-3 amount.
5-4 (h) The legislature shall account in the General
5-5 Appropriations Act for the rebates authorized by this section in a
5-6 way that provides a corresponding increase in the general revenue
5-7 funds appropriated to the institution. It is the intent of the
5-8 legislature that rebates authorized by this section shall be
5-9 financed by savings to the state resulting from reductions in the
5-10 number of courses taken by undergraduate students.
5-11 (i) The coordinating board, in consultation with the
5-12 institutions of higher education, shall adopt rules for the
5-13 administration of this section.
5-14 Explanation: This change is necessary in order to discourage
5-15 the accumulation of unnecessary semester credit hours by
5-16 undergraduates at the expense of the state and to provide an
5-17 incentive to students to complete their degree plan on time.
5-18 (2) House Rule 13, Section 9(a)(4), is suspended to permit
5-19 the committee to add new SECTIONS of the bill to read as follows:
5-20 SECTION 1.10. Subsection (a), Section 54.5131, Education
5-21 Code, is amended to read as follows:
5-22 (a) The board of regents of The University of Texas System
5-23 may charge and collect from students registered at The University
5-24 of Texas at Austin a fee of $2 if approved by the students in a
5-25 student referendum [$1] for any semester or summer session. The
5-26 fee may be increased to an amount not to exceed $4 if approved by
5-27 the students in a student referendum. The fee may be used only for
6-1 funding an international education program [financial aid fund] to
6-2 be used to assist students participating in international student
6-3 exchange or study programs.
6-4 SECTION 1.11. Section 54.532, Education Code, is amended to
6-5 read as follows:
6-6 Sec. 54.532. STUDENT UNION BUILDING FEES; THE UNIVERSITY OF
6-7 TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO. (a) The board of regents of The University
6-8 of Texas System may levy a student union fee of not less than $20
6-9 or more than $75 for each semester or summer session, assessed in
6-10 proportion to the number of credit hours for which a student
6-11 registers, [not to exceed $30 per student for each regular semester
6-12 and not to exceed $15 per student for each term of the summer
6-13 session,] for the sole purpose of financing, [constructing,]
6-14 operating, maintaining, and improving a student union building for
6-15 The University of Texas at San Antonio. This fee may be levied in
6-16 addition to any other use or service fee. [Furthermore, the fee
6-17 may be levied only upon an affirmative vote of a majority of the
6-18 student body voting of The University of Texas at San Antonio.]
6-19 (b) The fees collected under Subsection (a) of this section
6-20 shall be deposited to an account known as The University of Texas
6-21 at San Antonio University Center Fee Account and shall be placed
6-22 under the control of and subject to the order of the university
6-23 center advisory committee. The committee shall annually submit to
6-24 the president of The University of Texas at San Antonio a complete
6-25 and itemized budget to be accompanied by a full and complete report
6-26 of all activities conducted during the past year and all
6-27 expenditures made incident to those activities. The president
7-1 shall submit the budget to the board of regents as part of the
7-2 institutional budget. The board of regents shall make such changes
7-3 in the budget as it deems necessary before approving the budget[,
7-4 but only after a student referendum has been called on the issue of
7-5 increase in the fee, and the issue has been approved by a majority
7-6 of the students voting in the election]. The board shall then levy
7-7 the fees, within the limits fixed in this section, in such amounts
7-8 as will be sufficient to meet the budgetary needs of the student
7-9 union building.
7-10 (c) The board may not increase the amount of the student
7-11 union fee by more than 10 percent in any academic year unless the
7-12 amount of the increase is approved by a majority of the students
7-13 voting in an election held for that purpose and by a majority of
7-14 the student government of the institution.
7-15 Explanation: This change is necessary in order to allow the
7-16 board of regents of The University of Texas System to increase the
7-17 student union building fees at The University of Texas at San
7-18 Antonio and to increase the international education fee at The
7-19 University of Texas at Austin.
7-20 (3) House Rule 13, Sections 9(a)(1), (3), and (4), are
7-21 suspended to permit the committee to add the following new SECTION
7-22 3.02(b) of the bill to read as follows:
7-23 (b) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the
7-24 changes in law made by this Act apply beginning with tuition and
7-25 fees charged for the 1997 fall semester. Section 54.068, Education
7-26 Code, as added by this Act, applies beginning with tuition charged
7-27 for the 1999 fall semester. Section 54.0065, Education Code, as
8-1 added by this Act, applies only to students entering a
8-2 baccalaureate degree program on or after September 1, 1997.
8-3 Section 61.0595, Education Code, as added by this Act, applies to
8-4 funding beginning with the 1999 fall semester.
8-5 Explanation: This change is necessary in order to provide
8-6 dates for implementing the changes in law made in Subdivision (1)
8-7 of this resolution.