1-1 By: Luna, Wentworth, Madla S.B. No. 850
1-2 (In the Senate - Filed February 27, 1997; March 5, 1997, read
1-3 first time and referred to Committee on Finance; March 25, 1997,
1-4 reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 13, Nays 0;
1-5 March 25, 1997, sent to printer.)
1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-7 AN ACT
1-8 relating to the student union building fees at The University of
1-9 Texas at San Antonio.
1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11 SECTION 1. Section 54.532, Education Code, is amended to
1-12 read as follows:
1-13 Sec. 54.532. STUDENT UNION BUILDING FEES; THE UNIVERSITY OF
1-14 TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO. (a) The board of regents of The University
1-15 of Texas System may levy a student union fee of not less than $20
1-16 or more than $75 for each semester or summer session, assessed in
1-17 proportion to the number of credit hours for which a student
1-18 registers, [not to exceed $30 per student for each regular semester
1-19 and not to exceed $15 per student for each term of the summer
1-20 session,] for the sole purpose of financing, [constructing,]
1-21 operating, maintaining, and improving a student union building for
1-22 The University of Texas at San Antonio. This fee may be levied in
1-23 addition to any other use or service fee. [Furthermore, the fee
1-24 may be levied only upon an affirmative vote of a majority of the
1-25 student body voting of The University of Texas at San Antonio.]
1-26 (b) The fees collected under Subsection (a) of this section
1-27 shall be deposited to an account known as The University of Texas
1-28 at San Antonio University Center Fee Account and shall be placed
1-29 under the control of and subject to the order of the university
1-30 center advisory committee. The committee shall annually submit to
1-31 the president of The University of Texas at San Antonio a complete
1-32 and itemized budget to be accompanied by a full and complete report
1-33 of all activities conducted during the past year and all
1-34 expenditures made incident to those activities. The president
1-35 shall submit the budget to the board of regents as part of the
1-36 institutional budget. The board of regents shall make such changes
1-37 in the budget as it deems necessary before approving the budget[,
1-38 but only after a student referendum has been called on the issue of
1-39 increase in the fee, and the issue has been approved by a majority
1-40 of the students voting in the election]. The board shall then levy
1-41 the fees, within the limits fixed in this section, in such amounts
1-42 as will be sufficient to meet the budgetary needs of the student
1-43 union building.
1-44 (c) The board may not increase the amount of the student
1-45 union fee by more than 10 percent in any academic year unless the
1-46 amount of the increase is approved by a majority of the students
1-47 voting in an election held for that purpose or by a majority of the
1-48 student government of the institution.
1-49 SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies
1-50 only to a fee imposed for a semester or summer session that begins
1-51 on or after the effective date of this Act.
1-52 (b) Notwithstanding Section 54.532, Education Code, as
1-53 amended by this Act, the maximum amount of the student union fee
1-54 per student under that section for the 1997 fall semester is $44.
1-55 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
1-56 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-57 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-58 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-59 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
1-60 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
1-61 passage, and it is so enacted.
1-62 * * * * *