1-1 By: Oliveira (Senate Sponsor - Lucio) H.B. No. 1488
1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House March 29, 1999;
1-3 March 30, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on
1-4 Education; April 26, 1999, reported adversely, with favorable
1-5 Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0;
1-6 April 26, 1999, sent to printer.)
1-7 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 1488 By: Ogden
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-8 AN ACT
1-9 relating to the student union building fee at The University of
1-10 Texas at Brownsville and to student union fees at public junior
1-11 colleges.
1-12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-13 SECTION 1. Subchapter E, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
1-14 amended by adding Section 54.546 to read as follows:
1-15 Sec. 54.546. STUDENT UNION FEES; THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT
1-16 BROWNSVILLE. (a) The board of regents of The University of Texas
1-17 System may impose on each student enrolled at The University of
1-18 Texas at Brownsville a student union fee of not less than $34.35
1-19 or more than $70 for each semester or long summer session for the
1-20 sole purpose of financing, constructing, operating, maintaining,
1-21 renovating, and improving a student union building owned by Texas
1-22 Southmost College and used by the partnership of The University of
1-23 Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College under Section
1-24 78.02. The fee may be imposed in addition to any other fee.
1-25 (b) Revenue from the fee imposed under this section shall
1-26 be deposited to an account known as The University of Texas at
1-27 Brownsville student union account. Money in the account shall be
1-28 used in accordance with the terms of the partnership agreements
1-29 entered into between The University of Texas at Brownsville and
1-30 Texas Southmost College under Section 78.02.
1-31 (c) The board of trustees of the Southmost Union Junior
1-32 College District may pledge revenue from a fee imposed under this
1-33 section, whether received directly from a student or from The
1-34 University of Texas at Brownsville, under the terms of the
1-35 partnership agreement between The University of Texas at
1-36 Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, for the payment of
1-37 obligations issued by the Southmost Union Junior College District
1-38 to finance the construction, operation, maintenance, renovation,
1-39 and improvement of a student union building to be owned by Texas
1-40 Southmost College and used by the two institutions under the
1-41 partnership. If the fee imposed under this section is pledged to
1-42 the payment of obligations issued by Southmost Union Junior College
1-43 District, the board of regents of The University of Texas System
1-44 may not pledge revenue from the fee for the payment of obligations
1-45 issued for an authorized purpose under the revenue financing system
1-46 of The University of Texas System.
1-47 (d) The board may not increase the amount of the fee by more
1-48 than 10 percent in any academic year unless the amount of the
1-49 increase is approved by a majority of the students voting in an
1-50 election held for that purpose and by a majority of the members of
1-51 the legislative body of the student government of the institution.
1-52 (e) Subject to the limitations of this section on the amount
1-53 of the fee and any increase in the amount of the fee, the fee
1-54 imposed under this section must be in the same amount as the
1-55 student union fee charged a student at Texas Southmost College by
1-56 the board of trustees of Southmost Union Junior College District.
1-57 A student attending either or both institutions may be charged a
1-58 student union fee by only one of the institutions.
1-59 SECTION 2. Section 130.123(c), Education Code, is amended to
1-60 read as follows:
1-61 (c) Each board shall be authorized to fix and collect
1-62 rentals, rates, charges, and/or fees, including student union fees,
1-63 from students and others for the occupancy, use and/or availability
1-64 of all or any of its property, buildings, structures, activities,
2-1 operations, or facilities, of any nature, in such amounts and in
2-2 such manner as may be determined by such board.
2-3 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
2-4 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-5 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-6 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-7 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-8 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-9 passage, and it is so enacted.
2-10 * * * * *