1-1 By: Naishtat (Senate Sponsor - Bivins) H.B. No. 3138 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 5, 1999; 1-3 May 6, 1999, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Education; May 14, 1999, reported favorably by the following vote: 1-5 Yeas 5, Nays 1; May 14, 1999, sent to printer.) 1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-7 AN ACT 1-8 relating to the authority of a governing board of a public 1-9 institution of higher education to reduce tuition or prorate fees 1-10 charged to a student at that institution. 1-11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-12 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 54, Education Code, is 1-13 amended by adding Section 54.010 to read as follows: 1-14 Sec. 54.010. REDUCTION IN TUITION. (a) The governing board 1-15 of an institution of higher education may reduce the amount of 1-16 tuition charged to a student under this chapter to an amount less 1-17 than the amount otherwise required by this chapter if the board: 1-18 (1) offers the tuition reduction to the student as 1-19 part of an institutional policy adopted by the board to: 1-20 (A) increase the average semester credit hour 1-21 course load of students enrolled at the institution; or 1-22 (B) improve the retention and graduation rate of 1-23 students enrolled at the institution; and 1-24 (2) determines that the student is: 1-25 (A) enrolled in, and making satisfactory 1-26 progress toward completion of, a degree program offered at the 1-27 institution; and 1-28 (B) enrolled in at least 15 semester credit 1-29 hours at the institution during the semester or term for which the 1-30 reduction is offered. 1-31 (b) The governing board may offer a tuition reduction under 1-32 this section in a fixed dollar amount, a percentage amount, or any 1-33 other manner that the board considers appropriate. 1-34 (c) The amount of tuition reduction offered to a student 1-35 under this section for a semester or term may not exceed the amount 1-36 of tuition that would have been charged to the student under this 1-37 chapter for enrollment in three semester credit hours during that 1-38 semester or term. 1-39 (d) For a tuition reduction offered to a student under this 1-40 section, the governing board may prorate the amount of the 1-41 reduction based on: 1-42 (1) the number of semester credit hours in which the 1-43 student is enrolled; or 1-44 (2) the length of the semester or term for which the 1-45 student is enrolled. 1-46 (e) The governing board is not required to offer a tuition 1-47 reduction under this section to all institutions of higher 1-48 education under its governance or to all degree programs offered at 1-49 an institution of higher education under its governance. 1-50 SECTION 2. Subchapter E, Chapter 54, Education Code, is 1-51 amended by adding Section 54.5025 to read as follows: 1-52 Sec. 54.5025. PRORATION OF FEES. Based on the length of the 1-53 semester or term for which a student is enrolled, the governing 1-54 board of an institution of higher education may prorate the amount 1-55 of any fee charged to the student under this chapter. 1-56 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect beginning with tuition and 1-57 fees charged for the 1999 fall semester. 1-58 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 1-59 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-60 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-61 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 1-62 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 1-63 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 1-64 passage, and it is so enacted. 2-1 * * * * *