By: Bivins S.R. No. 921
SENATE RESOLUTION
1-1 BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Texas, 75th
1-2 Legislature, Regular Session, 1997, That Senate Rule 12.03 be
1-3 suspended in part as provided by Senate Rule 12.08 to enable the
1-4 conference committee appointed to resolve the differences on Senate
1-5 Bill No. 1907 to consider and take action on the addition of the
1-6 following text:
1-7 (1) Senate Rule 12.03(4) is suspended to permit the
1-8 committee to add the following text:
1-9 SECTION 1.07. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
1-10 amended by adding Section 61.0595 to read as follows:
1-11 Sec. 61.0595. FUNDING FOR CERTAIN EXCESS UNDERGRADUATE
1-12 CREDIT HOURS. (a) In the formulas established under Section
1-13 61.059, the board may not include funding for semester credit hours
1-14 earned by a resident undergraduate student who before the semester
1-15 or other academic session begins has previously attempted 170 or
1-16 more semester credit hours for courses taken at any institution of
1-17 higher education while classified as a resident student for tuition
1-18 purposes.
1-19 (b) Subsection (a) does not apply to a student enrolled in:
1-20 (1) two or more baccalaureate degree programs at the
1-21 same time;
1-22 (2) a double major degree program that requires 130 or
1-23 more semester credits for completion; or
2-1 (3) a health professional baccalaureate degree
2-2 program.
2-3 (c) For a student enrolled in a baccalaureate program under
2-4 Section 51.931, semester credit hours earned by the student 10 or
2-5 more years before the date the student begins the new degree
2-6 program under Section 51.931 are not counted for purposes of
2-7 determining whether the student has previously earned the number of
2-8 semester credit hours specified by Subsection (a).
2-9 (d) The following are not counted for purposes of
2-10 determining whether the student has previously earned the number of
2-11 semester credit hours specified by Subsection (a):
2-12 (1) semester credit hours earned by the student before
2-13 receiving a baccalaureate degree that has previously been awarded
2-14 to the student;
2-15 (2) semester credit hours earned by the student by
2-16 examination or under any other procedure by which credit is earned
2-17 without registering for a course for which tuition is charged;
2-18 (3) credit for a remedial education course or another
2-19 course that does not count toward a degree program at the
2-20 institution; and
2-21 (4) semester credit hours earned by the student at a
2-22 private institution or an out-of-state institution.
2-23 SECTION 1.08. Subchapter B, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
2-24 amended by adding Section 54.068 to read as follows:
2-25 Sec. 54.068. TUITION FOR EXCESSIVE UNDERGRADUATE HOURS. An
3-1 institution of higher education may charge a resident student
3-2 tuition at a higher rate than the rate charged to other resident
3-3 students, not to exceed the rate charged to nonresident students,
3-4 for a course for which Section 61.0595 requires the coordinating
3-5 board to exclude funding for the semester credit hours for which
3-6 the student registers if the student has previously attempted 170
3-7 or more semester credit hours. In its appropriations to
3-8 institutions of higher education, the legislature shall compute the
3-9 local funds available to each institution as if the tuition
3-10 collected under this section were not collected.
3-11 SECTION 1.09. Subchapter A, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
3-12 amended by adding Section 54.0065 to read as follows:
3-13 Sec. 54.0065. TUITION REBATE FOR CERTAIN UNDERGRADUATES.
3-14 (a) A qualified student is eligible for a rebate of a portion of
3-15 the undergraduate tuition the student has paid if the student:
3-16 (1) is awarded a baccalaureate degree from a general
3-17 academic teaching institution; and
3-18 (2) has attempted no more than three hours in excess
3-19 of the minimum number of semester credit hours required to complete
3-20 the degree, including transfer credits and course credit earned
3-21 exclusively by examination.
3-22 (b) The amount of tuition to be rebated to a student under
3-23 this section is $1,000, unless the total amount of undergraduate
3-24 tuition paid by the student to the institution of higher education
3-25 awarding the degree was less than $1,000, in which event the amount
4-1 of tuition to be rebated is an amount equal to the amount of
4-2 undergraduate tuition paid by the student to the institution.
4-3 However, a student who paid the institution awarding the degree an
4-4 amount of undergraduate tuition less than $1,000 may qualify for an
4-5 increase in the amount of the rebate, not to exceed a total rebate
4-6 of $1,000, for any amount of undergraduate tuition the student paid
4-7 to other institutions of higher education by providing the
4-8 institution with proof of the total amount of that tuition paid to
4-9 other institutions of higher education.
4-10 (c) A student who has transferred from another institution
4-11 of higher education shall provide the institution awarding the
4-12 degree an official transcript from each institution attended by the
4-13 student in order that the total number of hours attempted by the
4-14 student can be verified.
4-15 (d) To qualify for a rebate under this section, the student
4-16 must have been a resident of this state and entitled to pay tuition
4-17 at the rate provided by this chapter for a resident student at all
4-18 times while pursuing the degree.
4-19 (e) All institutions of higher education shall notify each
4-20 first-time freshman student of the tuition rebate program.
4-21 (f) The institution awarding the degree shall pay the rebate
4-22 under this section from local funds.
4-23 (g) If a student entitled to a rebate under this section has
4-24 an outstanding student loan, including an emergency loan, owed or
4-25 guaranteed by this state, including the Texas Guaranteed Student
5-1 Loan Corporation, the institution shall apply the amount of the
5-2 rebate to the student's loan. If a student has more than one
5-3 outstanding loan, the institution shall apply the amount of the
5-4 rebate to the loans as directed by the student or, if the student
5-5 fails to provide timely instructions on the application of the
5-6 amount, the institution shall apply the amount of the rebate to the
5-7 loans according to priorities established by the coordinating
5-8 board. If the amount of the rebate exceeds the amount of the loan
5-9 indebtedness, the institution shall pay the student the excess
5-10 amount.
5-11 (h) The legislature shall account in the General
5-12 Appropriations Act for the rebates authorized by this section in a
5-13 way that provides a corresponding increase in the general revenue
5-14 funds appropriated to the institution. It is the intent of the
5-15 legislature that rebates authorized by this section shall be
5-16 financed by savings to the state resulting from reductions in the
5-17 number of courses taken by undergraduate students.
5-18 (i) The coordinating board, in consultation with the
5-19 institutions of higher education, shall adopt rules for the
5-20 administration of this section.
5-21 Explanation: This change is necessary in order to discourage
5-22 the accumulation of unnecessary semester credit hours by
5-23 undergraduates at the expense of the state and to provide an
5-24 incentive to students to complete their degree plan on time.
5-25 (2) Senate Rule 12.03(4) is suspended to permit the
6-1 committee to add the following text:
6-2 SECTION 1.10. Subsection (a), Section 54.5131, Education
6-3 Code, is amended to read as follows:
6-4 (a) The board of regents of The University of Texas System
6-5 may charge and collect from students registered at The University
6-6 of Texas at Austin a fee of $2 if approved by the students in a
6-7 student referendum [$1] for any semester or summer session. The
6-8 fee may be increased to an amount not to exceed $4 if approved by
6-9 the students in a student referendum. The fee may be used only for
6-10 funding an international education program [financial aid fund] to
6-11 be used to assist students participating in international student
6-12 exchange or study programs.
6-13 SECTION 1.11. Section 54.532, Education Code, is amended to
6-14 read as follows:
6-15 Sec. 54.532. STUDENT UNION BUILDING FEES; THE UNIVERSITY OF
6-16 TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO. (a) The board of regents of The University
6-17 of Texas System may levy a student union fee of not less than $20
6-18 or more than $75 for each semester or summer session, assessed in
6-19 proportion to the number of credit hours for which a student
6-20 registers, [not to exceed $30 per student for each regular semester
6-21 and not to exceed $15 per student for each term of the summer
6-22 session,] for the sole purpose of financing, [constructing,]
6-23 operating, maintaining, and improving a student union building for
6-24 The University of Texas at San Antonio. This fee may be levied in
6-25 addition to any other use or service fee. [Furthermore, the fee
7-1 may be levied only upon an affirmative vote of a majority of the
7-2 student body voting of The University of Texas at San Antonio.]
7-3 (b) The fees collected under Subsection (a) of this section
7-4 shall be deposited to an account known as The University of Texas
7-5 at San Antonio University Center Fee Account and shall be placed
7-6 under the control of and subject to the order of the university
7-7 center advisory committee. The committee shall annually submit to
7-8 the president of The University of Texas at San Antonio a complete
7-9 and itemized budget to be accompanied by a full and complete report
7-10 of all activities conducted during the past year and all
7-11 expenditures made incident to those activities. The president
7-12 shall submit the budget to the board of regents as part of the
7-13 institutional budget. The board of regents shall make such changes
7-14 in the budget as it deems necessary before approving the budget[,
7-15 but only after a student referendum has been called on the issue of
7-16 increase in the fee, and the issue has been approved by a majority
7-17 of the students voting in the election]. The board shall then levy
7-18 the fees, within the limits fixed in this section, in such amounts
7-19 as will be sufficient to meet the budgetary needs of the student
7-20 union building.
7-21 (c) The board may not increase the amount of the student
7-22 union fee by more than 10 percent in any academic year unless the
7-23 amount of the increase is approved by a majority of the students
7-24 voting in an election held for that purpose and by a majority of
7-25 the student government of the institution.
8-1 Explanation: This change is necessary in order to allow the
8-2 board of regents of The University of Texas System to increase the
8-3 student union building fees at The University of Texas at San
8-4 Antonio and to increase the international education fee at The
8-5 University of Texas at Austin.
8-6 (3) Senate Rules 12.03(1), (3), and (4) are suspended to
8-7 permit the committee to amend the following text which is not in
8-8 disagreement and to add the following text in Subsection (b) of
8-9 Section 3.02:
8-10 (b) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the
8-11 changes in law made by this Act apply beginning with tuition and
8-12 fees charged for the 1997 fall semester. Section 54.068, Education
8-13 Code, as added by this Act, applies beginning with tuition charged
8-14 for the 1999 fall semester. Section 54.0065, Education Code, as
8-15 added by this Act, applies only to students entering a
8-16 baccalaureate degree program on or after September 1, 1997.
8-17 Section 61.0595, Education Code, as added by this Act, applies to
8-18 funding beginning with the 1999 fall semester.
8-19 Explanation: This change is necessary in order to provide
8-20 dates for implementing the changes in law made in Subdivision (1)
8-21 of this resolution.
8-22 ______________________________________
8-23 President of the Senate
8-24 I hereby certify that the above
8-25 Resolution was adopted by the Senate
8-26 on May 29, 1997, by the following vote:
8-27 Yeas 31, Nays 0.
8-28 ______________________________________
8-29 Secretary of the Senate