By Luna S.B. No. 850
75R5959 CAG-F
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the student union building fees at The University of
1-3 Texas at San Antonio.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 54.532, Education Code, is amended to
1-6 read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 54.532. STUDENT UNION BUILDING FEES; THE UNIVERSITY OF
1-8 TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO. (a) The board of regents of The University
1-9 of Texas System may levy a student union fee of not less than $20
1-10 or more than $75 for each semester or summer session, assessed in
1-11 proportion to the number of credit hours for which a student
1-12 registers, [not to exceed $30 per student for each regular semester
1-13 and not to exceed $15 per student for each term of the summer
1-14 session,] for the sole purpose of financing, [constructing,]
1-15 operating, maintaining, and improving a student union building for
1-16 The University of Texas at San Antonio. This fee may be levied in
1-17 addition to any other use or service fee. [Furthermore, the fee
1-18 may be levied only upon an affirmative vote of a majority of the
1-19 student body voting of The University of Texas at San Antonio.]
1-20 (b) The fees collected under Subsection (a) of this section
1-21 shall be deposited to an account known as The University of Texas
1-22 at San Antonio University Center Fee Account and shall be placed
1-23 under the control of and subject to the order of the university
1-24 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 or by a majority of the
2-18 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
2-26 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-27 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-1 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-2 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
3-3 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
3-4 passage, and it is so enacted.