By Crownover                                           H.B. No. 461
         77R2580 KSD-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to imposing a recreational facility fee at the University
 1-3     of North Texas.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Subchapter E, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Section 54.5091 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 54.5091.  STUDENT RECREATIONAL FACILITY FEE; UNIVERSITY
 1-8     OF NORTH TEXAS. (a)  If approved by a majority vote of those
 1-9     students participating in a general election held at the university
1-10     for that purpose, the board of regents of the University of North
1-11     Texas may impose a recreational facility fee on each student
1-12     enrolled in the university in an amount not to exceed $75 per
1-13     student for each semester of the regular term or 12-week summer
1-14     session and not to exceed $37.50 per student for each six-week or
1-15     shorter term of the summer session.  The fee may be used only for
1-16     constructing, operating, maintaining, improving, and equipping a
1-17     recreational facility or program at the university.
1-18           (b)  Revenue from a fee imposed under this section shall be
1-19     deposited to the credit of an account known as the "University of
1-20     North Texas recreational facility fee account" under the control of
1-21     the student fee advisory committee established under Section
1-22     54.5031.
1-23           (c)  The student fee advisory committee annually shall submit
1-24     to the board of regents a complete and itemized budget for the
 2-1     recreational facility with a complete report of all recreational
 2-2     facility activities conducted during the past year and all
 2-3     expenditures made in connection with those activities.  The board
 2-4     may make changes in the budget that the board determines are
 2-5     necessary.  After approving the budget, the board, in accordance
 2-6     with this section, may impose the recreational facility fees for
 2-7     that year in amounts sufficient to meet the budgetary needs of the
 2-8     recreational facility.  If the budget approved by the board
 2-9     contains an expenditure for the construction of a facility, the
2-10     board may contract for the construction of the facility.
2-11           (d)  The board may not increase the amount of the
2-12     recreational facility fee by more than 10 percent in any academic
2-13     year unless the amount of the increase is approved by a majority of
2-14     the students participating in a general election held at the
2-15     university for that purpose.
2-16           (e)  A fee imposed under this section is in addition to any
2-17     other use or service fee authorized to be imposed.
2-18           (f)  A fee imposed under this section may not be considered
2-19     in determining the maximum student services fees that may be
2-20     imposed under Section 54.503(b).
2-21           SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2001 fall
2-22     semester.
2-23           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
2-24     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
2-25     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
2-26     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
2-27     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.