HBA-CBW S.B. 743 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 743
By: Lucio
Higher Education
4/25/2001
Committee Report (Amended)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law,  a foreign student who demonstrates  financial need may
pay resident tuition rates at a Texas state university located in a county
immediately adjacent to the nation in which the foreign students resides.
However, Mexican citizens must pay nonresident tuition at The University of
Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health satellite
campuses in El Paso and Brownsville because the satellites are considered
to be a part of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
and therefore a part of Harris County, which is not adjacent to Mexico.
Senate Bill 743 provides that the foreign student tuition fee does not
apply to certain foreign students that register for courses that are a part
of a graduate degree program in public health and that are conducted in a
county immediately adjacent to the nation in which the foreign student
resides.   

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

Senate Bill 743 amends the Education Code to provide that the foreign
student tuition fee does not apply to a foreign student who is a resident
of a nation situated adjacent to Texas, demonstrates financial need, and
registers for courses that are part of a graduate degree program in public
health and that are conducted in a county immediately adjacent to the
nation in which the foreign student resides.  

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2001. The changes in law made by the Act apply
beginning with tuition charged for the 2001 fall semester. 

EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS

Committee Amendment No. 1 provides that a foreign service officer employed
by the United States Department of  State foreign service officer and
enrolled in an institution of higher education is entitled to pay the
tuition and fees at the rates provided for Texas residents if the person is
assigned to an office of the department of state that is located in a
foreign nation that borders on this state.  The  amendment  also prohibits
the maximum emergency tuition and fee loan amount per student from being
greater than, rather than less than, an amount equal to the tuition and
required fees for the courses in which the student is actually enrolling.
The provision regarding tuition and fees for a foreign service officer
applies beginning with tuition charged for the 2001 fall semester.