By:  Ellis                                             S.B. No. 315
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                       AN ACT
 1-1     relating to authorizing certain prepaid tuition contracts to cover
 1-2     tuition for an additional period of attendance at an institution of
 1-3     higher education.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subsection (a), Section 54.6252, Education Code,
 1-6     is amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  The board may permit the purchaser of a prepaid tuition
 1-8     contract for a senior college plan or a private college plan at any
 1-9     time during which the contract is in effect and before the
1-10     beneficiary graduates from high school to enter into a supplemental
1-11     contract to prepay the tuition and required fees of the beneficiary
1-12     for a number of undergraduate credit hours, in addition to the
1-13     undergraduate credit hours included in the primary contract, equal
1-14     to the number of credit hours purchased for one year under the
1-15     primary contract.  The additional credit hours must be for the same
1-16     type of institution as the credit hours purchased under the primary
1-17     contract.
1-18           SECTION 2.  (a)  Except as provided by Subsection (b) of this
1-19     section, the amendment made by this Act to Section 54.6252,
1-20     Education Code, does not apply to a prepaid tuition contract
1-21     entered into before the effective date of this Act.
1-22           (b)  The Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board may permit
1-23     the purchaser of a prepaid tuition contract entered into before the
1-24     effective date of this Act to amend the contract to conform to
 2-1     Section 54.6252, Education Code, as amended by this Act.  The board
 2-2     may require the purchaser to make increased or additional payments
 2-3     as necessary to compensate for any additional costs that the board
 2-4     estimates will be incurred under the contract because of the
 2-5     contract amendment.
 2-6           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
 2-7           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
 2-8     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 2-9     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-10     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-11     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.