By Barrientos                                          S.B. No. 946
         76R8464 JSA-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to tuition, fees, and student loans of certain graduate
 1-3     students employed as teaching assistants, assistant instructors, or
 1-4     research assistants at public institutions of higher education.
 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1.  Section 54.063, Education Code, is amended to
 1-7     read as follows:
 1-8           Sec. 54.063.  TEACHING OR RESEARCH ASSISTANT.  (a)  An
 1-9     assistant instructor, [A] teaching assistant, or research assistant
1-10     of any institution of higher education and the spouse and children
1-11     of such an assistant instructor, [a] teaching assistant, or
1-12     research assistant are entitled to register in a state institution
1-13     of higher education by paying the tuition fees and other fees or
1-14     charges required for Texas residents under Section 54.051 of this
1-15     code, without regard to the length of time the assistant has
1-16     resided in Texas, if the instructor or assistant is employed at
1-17     least one-half time in a teaching or research assistant position
1-18     which relates to the instructor's or assistant's degree program
1-19     under rules and regulations established by the employer
1-20     institution.
1-21           (b)  The governing board of an institution of higher
1-22     education shall exempt from the payment of tuition fees a graduate
1-23     student who:
1-24                 (1)  is employed at the institution as an assistant
 2-1     instructor, teaching assistant, or research assistant;
 2-2                 (2)  is researching or writing the report, thesis, or
 2-3     dissertation required by the student's graduate degree program; and
 2-4                 (3)  is not enrolled in a course with organized
 2-5     coursework.
 2-6           (c)  A student is considered to be enrolled as a full-time
 2-7     student for all purposes if the student:
 2-8                 (1)  is entitled to an exemption from tuition fees
 2-9     under Subsection (b); or
2-10                 (2)  would be entitled to an exemption from tuition
2-11     fees under Subsection (b) except that the student is enrolled in a
2-12     course with organized coursework.
2-13           (d)  A student exempt from tuition fees under Subsection (b)
2-14     is also exempt from the payment of any fee imposed for the use of a
2-15     health or medical center or for health, hospital, or medical
2-16     services.  The exemption provided by this subsection does not apply
2-17     to any premium the student is required to pay to participate in a
2-18     group health insurance program for which the student is eligible.
2-19            (e)  In its appropriations to general academic teaching
2-20     institutions, the legislature shall compute the local funds
2-21     available to each institution as if the tuition fees for which an
2-22     exemption is granted under Subsection (b) were collected by the
2-23     institution.
2-24           (f)  In this section, "general academic teaching institution"
2-25     has the meaning assigned by Section 61.003.
2-26           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies
2-27     beginning with the 1999 fall semester.
 3-1           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
 3-2     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
 3-3     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 3-4     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 3-5     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
 3-6     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
 3-7     passage, and it is so enacted.