LCA C.S.S.B. 979 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.S.B. 979
By: Haywood
Higher Education
4/25/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Members of Midwestern State University's student body government, as well
as some of the other students, have expressed a desire to retain a
full-time physician for their campus.  They brought these concerns to the
administration of the university, which in turn received approval from the
board of regents (board) to pursue this matter with the legislature.  The
students at the university are aware that a fee must be assessed to achieve
this goal and would be willing to pay up to $30 for each semester of the
regular term or 12-week summer session, and up to $15 for each six-week or
shorter term of the summer session.  The administration agreed that the fee
may not be levied unless approved by a majority vote of those students at
the university participating in a general student election called for that
purpose.   

C.S.S.B. 979 allows the board to charge students a medical service fee not
to exceed $30 for each semester of the regular term or 12-week summer
session and not to exceed $15 for each six-week or shorter term of the
summer session, and authorizes this fee for the sole purpose of providing
medical services to the students.  Furthermore, this bill prohibits the
board from increasing the fee by more than 10 percent unless approved by a
majority of students voting in a student election. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Subchapter E, Chapter 54, Education Code, by adding
Section 54.5082, as follows: 

Sec. 54.5082.  MEDICAL SERVICES FEE; MIDWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY.
Authorizes the board of regents (board) of Midwestern State University to
charge each student registered at the university a medical services fee not
to exceed $30 for each semester of the regular term or 12-week summer
session and not to exceed $15 for each six-week or shorter term of the
summer session.   

(b)  Prohibits the board from imposing the fee or increasing the fee by
more than 10 percent in any academic year unless the imposition or increase
is approved by a majority vote of the students at the institution
participating in an election called for that purpose.  
(c) Provides that revenue from a fee imposed under this section may be used
only to provide medical services to students at the university.   

(d)  Provides that a medical services fee is in addition to any other fee
the board is authorized by law to impose. 

SECTION 2.  Provides that the change in law made by this Act applies
beginning with fees imposed for the 1999 fall semester. 

SECTION 3.Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.
 
COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

The substitute modifies the original to conform to Legislative council
format. 

The substitute modifies the original by adding new SECTION 2, which
provides that this Act applies beginning with fees imposed for the 1999
fall semester, and by redesignating the emergency clause and the effective
date from former SECTION 2 to new SECTION 3.