1-1 By: Barrientos S.B. No. 1763
1-2 (In the Senate - Filed March 12, 1999; March 15, 1999, read
1-3 first time and referred to Committee on Education; April 7, 1999,
1-4 reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the
1-5 following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; April 7, 1999, sent to printer.)
1-6 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1763 By: West
1-7 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-8 AN ACT
1-9 relating to certain fees charged at certain institutions of higher
1-10 education.
1-11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-12 SECTION 1. Section 54.50891, Education Code, is amended by
1-13 amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsections (e) and (f)
1-14 to read as follows:
1-15 (a) The board of regents of The University of Texas System
1-16 may charge each student registered at a component institution of
1-17 The University of Texas System a medical services fee not to exceed
1-18 $70 [$55] for each semester of the regular term [or 12-week summer
1-19 session and not to exceed $25 for each six-week or shorter term of
1-20 the summer session].
1-21 (b) Before charging a medical services fee, the board must
1-22 give students and administrators an opportunity to offer
1-23 recommendations to the board as to the type and scope of medical
1-24 services that should be provided. Before increasing the medical
1-25 services fee at The University of Texas at Austin, the medical
1-26 services fee committee at The University of Texas at Austin, a
1-27 majority of which must be students, must approve the fee increase.
1-28 (e) If in an academic year the fee charged each student
1-29 under this section is more than 10 percent higher than the previous
1-30 year's fee, the increase is not effective unless approved by a
1-31 majority vote of the students voting in an election held for that
1-32 purpose or by a majority vote of the duly elected student
1-33 government.
1-34 (f) The board of regents shall prorate the fee allowed under
1-35 this section based on the length of the semester or term for which
1-36 the student is enrolled.
1-37 SECTION 2. Subsection (a), Section 54.536, Education Code,
1-38 is amended to read as follows:
1-39 (a) The board of regents of The University of Texas System
1-40 may charge each student enrolled in The University of Texas at
1-41 Austin a fee not to exceed $8 a semester or 12-week summer session,
1-42 $6 a nine-week summer session, or $4 a six-week summer session.
1-43 The fee may be used only for financing the renovation, improvement,
1-44 operation, maintenance, or replacement of the student health center
1-45 building at the university.
1-46 SECTION 3. Subsection (a), Section 54.537, Education Code,
1-47 is amended to read as follows:
1-48 (a) The board of regents of The University of Texas System
1-49 may charge each student enrolled at The University of Texas at
1-50 Austin a fee not to exceed $1.10 per registered semester hour. The
1-51 fee may be used only for financing the construction, repair,
1-52 operation, maintenance, renovation, improvement, or replacement of
1-53 a student services building at the university.
1-54 SECTION 4. This Act applies beginning with fees due for the
1-55 fall semester, 1999.
1-56 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
1-57 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
1-58 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
1-59 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
1-60 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
1-61 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
1-62 passage, and it is so enacted.
1-63 * * * * *