By: Luna, Wentworth, Madla S.B. No. 850
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1-1 relating to the student union building fees at The University of
1-2 Texas at San Antonio.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Section 54.532, Education Code, is amended to
1-5 read as follows:
1-6 Sec. 54.532. STUDENT UNION BUILDING FEES; THE UNIVERSITY OF
1-7 TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO. (a) The board of regents of The University
1-8 of Texas System may levy a student union fee of not less than $20
1-9 or more than $75 for each semester or summer session, assessed in
1-10 proportion to the number of credit hours for which a student
1-11 registers, [not to exceed $30 per student for each regular semester
1-12 and not to exceed $15 per student for each term of the summer
1-13 session,] for the sole purpose of financing, [constructing,]
1-14 operating, maintaining, and improving a student union building for
1-15 The University of Texas at San Antonio. This fee may be levied in
1-16 addition to any other use or service fee. [Furthermore, the fee
1-17 may be levied only upon an affirmative vote of a majority of the
1-18 student body voting of The University of Texas at San Antonio.]
1-19 (b) The fees collected under Subsection (a) of this section
1-20 shall be deposited to an account known as The University of Texas
1-21 at San Antonio University Center Fee Account and shall be placed
1-22 under the control of and subject to the order of the university
1-23 center advisory committee. The committee shall annually submit to
2-1 the president of The University of Texas at San Antonio a complete
2-2 and itemized budget to be accompanied by a full and complete report
2-3 of all activities conducted during the past year and all
2-4 expenditures made incident to those activities. The president
2-5 shall submit the budget to the board of regents as part of the
2-6 institutional budget. The board of regents shall make such changes
2-7 in the budget as it deems necessary before approving the budget[,
2-8 but only after a student referendum has been called on the issue of
2-9 increase in the fee, and the issue has been approved by a majority
2-10 of the students voting in the election]. The board shall then levy
2-11 the fees, within the limits fixed in this section, in such amounts
2-12 as will be sufficient to meet the budgetary needs of the student
2-13 union building.
2-14 (c) The board may not increase the amount of the student
2-15 union fee by more than 10 percent in any academic year unless the
2-16 amount of the increase is approved by a majority of the students
2-17 voting in an election held for that purpose and by a majority of
2-18 the student government of the institution.
2-19 SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies
2-20 only to a fee imposed for a semester or summer session that begins
2-21 on or after the effective date of this Act.
2-22 (b) Notwithstanding Section 54.532, Education Code, as
2-23 amended by this Act, the maximum amount of the student union fee
2-24 per student under that section for the 1997 fall semester is $44.
2-25 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
3-1 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-2 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-3 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-4 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
3-5 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
3-6 passage, and it is so enacted.