AN ACT
1-1 relating to certain fees charged at certain institutions of higher
1-2 education.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
1-5 amended by adding Section 54.010 to read as follows:
1-6 Sec. 54.010. PRORATION OF STUDENT FEE. For a student fee
1-7 authorized by this chapter to be charged per academic semester or
1-8 term, including a fee authorized to be charged per semester credit
1-9 hour, the governing board of an institution of higher education
1-10 shall prorate the amount of the fee charged for a term of the
1-11 summer session of nine weeks or less based on the length of the
1-12 term, unless the statute authorizing the fee specifies a reduced
1-13 fee amount for that term.
1-14 SECTION 2. Section 54.50891, Education Code, is amended by
1-15 amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsections (e) and (f)
1-16 to read as follows:
1-17 (a) The board of regents of The University of Texas System
1-18 may charge each student registered at a component institution of
1-19 The University of Texas System a medical services fee not to exceed
1-20 $55 for each semester or [of the regular] term. If approved by a
1-21 majority vote of those students participating in a general election
1-22 held at the institution for that purpose, the maximum amount of the
1-23 medical services fee that may be charged at a component institution
1-24 is increased to the amount stated on the ballot proposition, not to
2-1 exceed $75 for each semester or term. Approval at the election of
2-2 an increase in the maximum amount of the fee that may be charged at
2-3 a component institution does not affect the application of
2-4 Subsection (e) to an increase in the amount of the fee actually
2-5 charged at that institution from one academic year to the next [or
2-6 12-week summer session and not to exceed $25 for each six-week or
2-7 shorter term of the summer session].
2-8 (b) Before charging a medical services fee, the board must
2-9 give students and administrators an opportunity to offer
2-10 recommendations to the board as to the type and scope of medical
2-11 services that should be provided. Before increasing the amount of
2-12 the medical services fee at The University of Texas at Austin, a
2-13 medical services fee committee, a majority of the members of which
2-14 must be students of the university, must approve the fee increase.
2-15 (e) The board may not increase the amount of the fee charged
2-16 at a component institution of The University of Texas System by
2-17 more than 10 percent from one academic year to the next unless the
2-18 increase is approved by a majority of the students of the
2-19 institution voting in a general election held at the institution
2-20 for that purpose.
2-21 (f) The board shall prorate the amount of a fee charged to a
2-22 student under this section based on the length of the semester or
2-23 term for which the student is enrolled.
2-24 SECTION 3. Subsections (a) and (b), Section 54.536,
2-25 Education Code, are amended to read as follows:
2-26 (a) The board of regents of The University of Texas System
3-1 may charge each student enrolled in The University of Texas at
3-2 Austin a fee not to exceed $8 a semester or 12-week summer session,
3-3 $6 a nine-week summer session, or $4 a six-week summer session.
3-4 The fee may be used only for financing the renovation, improvement,
3-5 maintenance, or replacement of the student health center building
3-6 at the university or for operating the student health center.
3-7 (b) The university shall collect the student health services
3-8 building fee imposed under this section and deposit the money
3-9 collected in an account to be known as the student health services
3-10 building account. The money collected and placed in the account
3-11 may [shall] be used only to:
3-12 (1) finance [for the purpose of financing] the
3-13 renovation, improvement, maintenance, or replacement of the student
3-14 health center building and [may] be pledged for the payment of
3-15 obligations issued for those purposes; or
3-16 (2) operate the student health center.
3-17 SECTION 4. Subsections (a) and (b), Section 54.537,
3-18 Education Code, are amended to read as follows:
3-19 (a) The board of regents of The University of Texas System
3-20 may charge each student enrolled at The University of Texas at
3-21 Austin a fee not to exceed $1.10 per registered semester hour. The
3-22 fee may be used only for financing the construction, repair,
3-23 maintenance, renovation, improvement, or replacement of a student
3-24 services building at the university or for operating the student
3-25 services building.
3-26 (b) The university shall collect the student services
4-1 building fee imposed under this section and deposit the money
4-2 collected into an account to be known as the student services
4-3 building account. The money collected and placed in the account
4-4 may [shall] be used only to:
4-5 (1) finance [for the purpose of financing] the
4-6 construction, repair, maintenance, renovation, improvement, or
4-7 replacement of a student services building and [may] be pledged for
4-8 the payment of obligations issued for those purposes; or
4-9 (2) operate the student services building.
4-10 SECTION 5. This Act applies beginning with fees imposed for
4-11 the 1999 fall semester.
4-12 SECTION 6. The importance of this legislation and the
4-13 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
4-14 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
4-15 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
4-16 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
4-17 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
4-18 passage, and it is so enacted.
_______________________________ _______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1763 passed the Senate on
April 15, 1999, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0; and that
the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 28, 1999, by the
following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0.
_______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1763 passed the House, with
amendment, on May 22, 1999, by the following vote: Yeas 143,
Nays 1, two present not voting.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
Approved:
_______________________________
Date
_______________________________
Governor