By:  Ellis                                            S.B. No. 1366

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

                                       AN ACT

 1-1     relating to the establishment of a recreational facility fee at

 1-2     Texas Southern University.

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

 1-4           SECTION 1.  Subchapter E, Chapter 54, Education Code, is

 1-5     amended by adding Section 54.5221 to read as follows:

 1-6           Sec. 54.5221.  RECREATIONAL FACILITY FEE; TEXAS SOUTHERN

 1-7     UNIVERSITY.  (a)  The board of regents of Texas Southern University

 1-8     may levy and collect a recreational facility fee not to exceed $50

 1-9     per student for each semester of the regular term or the summer

1-10     session from each student enrolled in Texas Southern University,

1-11     for the sole purpose of constructing, operating, maintaining,

1-12     improving, and equipping a recreational facility or program at the

1-13     institution.  A fee collected under this section is in addition to

1-14     any other use or service fee authorized to be levied.

1-15           (b)  The fees collected under this section shall be deposited

1-16     to the credit of an account known as the "Texas Southern University

1-17     recreational facility fee account" and shall be under the control

1-18     of the student fee advisory committee established under Section

1-19     54.5031.

1-20           (c)  The student fee advisory committee annually shall submit

1-21     to the board of regents a complete and itemized budget for the

1-22     recreational facility with a complete report of all recreational

1-23     facility activities conducted during the past year and all

 2-1     expenditures made in connection with those activities.  The board

 2-2     of regents may make changes in the budget that the board determines

 2-3     are necessary.  After approving the budget, the board of regents,

 2-4     in accordance with this section, may levy the recreational facility

 2-5     fees for that year in amounts sufficient to meet the budgetary

 2-6     needs of the recreational facility.  If the budget approved by the

 2-7     board contains an expenditure for the construction of a facility,

 2-8     the board may contract for the construction of the facility.

 2-9           (d)  The board may not increase the amount of the

2-10     recreational facility fee by more than 10 percent in any academic

2-11     year unless the amount of the increase is approved by a majority of

2-12     the students voting in an election held for that purpose or by a

2-13     majority of the student government of the institution.

2-14           (e)  A fee levied under this section may not be considered in

2-15     determining the maximum student services fee that may be charged

2-16     under Section 54.503(b).

2-17           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only

2-18     to a fee imposed for a semester or summer session that begins on or

2-19     after the effective date of this Act.

2-20           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-21     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-22     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-23     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-24     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-25     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 3-1     passage, and it is so enacted.