By: Moncrief S.B. No. 332 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT 1-1 relating to authorizing institutions of higher education to impose 1-2 a fee to support Washington, D.C., internships and abolishing the 1-3 Texas-Washington, D.C., Intern Scholarship Program. 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 54.5134 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 54.5134. WASHINGTON, D.C., INTERNSHIP EDUCATION FEE. 1-8 (a) The governing board of an institution of higher education may 1-9 charge and collect from each student registered at the institution 1-10 a fee in an amount not to exceed $1 for each semester or summer 1-11 session if imposition of the fee is approved by a majority vote of 1-12 the students of the institution participating in a general student 1-13 election held for that purpose. 1-14 (b) The amount of the fee imposed at an institution may be 1-15 increased from one academic year to the next by more than 10 1-16 percent only if approved by a majority vote of the students of the 1-17 institution participating in a general student election held for 1-18 that purpose. 1-19 (c) Revenue from a fee imposed under this section shall be 1-20 deposited in a fund established by the institution outside the 1-21 state treasury and identified as the institution's Washington, 1-22 D.C., internship financial aid fund. Money in the fund may be used 1-23 only to assist a student participating in a Washington, D.C., 1-24 internship program administered, sponsored, or approved by the 2-1 institution. 2-2 (d) The fund shall be used in accordance with guidelines 2-3 jointly developed by the student governing body of the institution 2-4 and the administration of the institution. If the institution does 2-5 not have a student governing body, the president may appoint a 2-6 committee of students to assist with the development of the 2-7 guidelines. 2-8 (e) A fee imposed under this section may not be considered 2-9 in determining the maximum amount of student services fees that may 2-10 be charged a student enrolled at the institution under Section 2-11 54.503(b). 2-12 SECTION 2. (a) Subchapter L, Chapter 56, Education Code, is 2-13 repealed. 2-14 (b) The repeal made by this section does not affect a grant 2-15 awarded under that subchapter before the effective date of this 2-16 section or the completion of the internship pursuant to the grant, 2-17 and the repealed law remains in effect for that purpose. 2-18 SECTION 3. (a) Section 1 of this Act applies beginning with 2-19 the 1999 fall semester. 2-20 (b) Section 2 of this Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 2-21 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 2-22 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-23 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-24 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-25 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 2-26 and that this Act take effect and be in force according to its 3-1 terms, and it is so enacted.