By Oliveira                                           H.B. No. 1488
         76R5942 CAG-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the student union building fee at The University of
 1-3     Texas at Brownsville.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter E, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Section 54.546 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 54.546.  STUDENT UNION FEES;  THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT
 1-8     BROWNSVILLE.  (a)  The board of regents of The University of Texas
 1-9     System may impose on each student enrolled at The University of
1-10     Texas at Brownsville a  student union fee of not less than $34.35
1-11     or more than $70 for each semester or long summer session for the
1-12     sole purpose of financing, constructing,  operating, maintaining,
1-13     renovating, and improving a student union building owned by Texas
1-14     Southmost College and used by the partnership of The University of
1-15     Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College under Section
1-16     78.02. The fee may be imposed in addition to any other fee.
1-17           (b)  Revenue from the fee imposed under  this section shall
1-18     be deposited to an account known as The University of Texas at
1-19     Brownsville student union account. Money in the account  shall be
1-20     used in accordance with the terms of the partnership agreements
1-21     entered into between The University of Texas at Brownsville and
1-22     Texas Southmost College under Section 78.02.
1-23           (c)  The board of regents may pledge revenue from the fee
1-24     imposed under this section for the payment of obligations issued
 2-1     for an authorized purpose under the revenue financing system of The
 2-2     University of Texas System.
 2-3           (d)  The board may not increase the amount of the fee by more
 2-4     than 10 percent in any academic year unless the amount of the
 2-5     increase is approved by a majority of the students voting in an
 2-6     election held for that purpose and by a majority of the members of
 2-7     the legislative body of the student government of the institution.
 2-8           (e)  Subject to the limitations of this section on the amount
 2-9     of the fee and any increase in the amount of the fee, the fee
2-10     imposed under this section must be in the same amount as the
2-11     student union fee charged a student at Texas Southmost College by
2-12     the board of trustees of Southmost Union Junior College District. A
2-13     student attending either or both institutions may  be charged a
2-14     student union fee by only one of the institutions.
2-15           SECTION 2.  This Act applies beginning with the 1999 fall
2-16     semester.
2-17           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-18     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-19     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-20     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-21     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-22     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-23     passage, and it is so enacted.