By:  Truan                                             S.B. No. 811

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to the use of certain telecommunications facilities of

 1-2     institutions of higher education to assist small business.

 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is

 1-5     amended by adding Section 51.9125 to read as follows:

 1-6           Sec. 51.9125.  USE OF TELECONFERENCING FACILITIES TO ASSIST

 1-7     SMALL BUSINESS.  (a)  Each institution of higher education that

 1-8     includes or is affiliated with a small business development center

 1-9     shall make its teleconferencing facilities available to the center

1-10     at reasonable times when those facilities are not in use for other

1-11     purposes of the institution.  A small business development center

1-12     may use those teleconferencing facilities when available to assist

1-13     small businesses in this state to expand their trade links outside

1-14     this state.

1-15           (b)  Each institution of higher education that operates

1-16     teleconferencing facilities shall, if requested to do so by the

1-17     District Export Council organized by the United States Department

1-18     of Commerce for the region in which the institution is located,

1-19     consult with that council to discuss the feasibility of permitting

1-20     the council to have access to those facilities to assist small

1-21     businesses in this state to expand their trade links outside this

1-22     state.

1-23           (c)  A small business development center or District Export

 2-1     Council that uses teleconferencing facilities under this section

 2-2     must reimburse the institution of higher education for the use of

 2-3     the facilities.  The institution may not charge the center or

 2-4     council a higher rate for use of those facilities than it charges

 2-5     any other person.  The institution may not charge a rate lower than

 2-6     the average rate charged in the market area at the time services

 2-7     are rendered.

 2-8           (d)  In this section, "institution of higher education" has

 2-9     the meaning assigned by Section 61.003.

2-10           (e)  This section expires September 1, 2002.

2-11           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-12           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-13     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-14     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-15     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-16     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.