HBA-AMW, CBW H.B. 2531 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2531
By: Junell
Higher Education
77/26/2001
Enrolled



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Tuition paid by the students at public institutions of higher education is
used to improve the quality of education for all students.  For this goal
to be achieved, tuition rates may need to be increased to keep up with
rising educational costs.  House Bill 2531 increases tuition for resident
students at general academic teaching institutions over a 10-year period. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 2531 amends the Education Code to provide that tuition for a
resident student at a general academic teaching institution is $50 per
semester credit hour, rather than $120 for each semester or 12 week summer
session and $60 for each six week summer term or $40 per semester credit
hour. The bill provides for an increase of $2 per semester credit hour for
each academic year starting with the 2001-2002 academic year and ending
with the 2005-2006 academic year.  The bill requires the governing board of
an institution of higher education to set tuition for a graduate or
professional pharmacy program or for a law school at the institution at a
rate that is at least equal to, but note more than three times, the
prescribed tuition rate.  The bill requires each governing board of an
institution of higher education, for billing and catalogue purposes, to
accumulate all the tuition that it charges into one tuition charge.  The
bill authorizes the maximum emergency tuition and fee loan amount per
student to be less than an amount equal to the tuition and required fees
for the courses in which the student is actually enrolling if the
institution determines that a lower amount would be in the best interest of
the student. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001, and applies beginning with tuition charges for the 2001
fall semester.