By Green                                               H.B. No. 683
         77R247 KSD-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the use of student fees at institutions of higher
 1-3     education to support student organizations that engage in political
 1-4     or ideological advocacy.
 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1. Subchapter E, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
 1-7     amended by adding Section 54.5145 to read as follows:
 1-8           Sec. 54.5145.  PRIOR STUDENT APPROVAL OF CERTAIN FEES
 1-9     REQUIRED. (a)  The governing board of an institution of higher
1-10     education may not charge a student enrolled in the institution a
1-11     fee or any portion of a fee that is used to support an organization
1-12     that engages in political or ideological advocacy unless the
1-13     student affirmatively approves the use of the fee for that purpose.
1-14           (b)  Each institution of higher education shall establish a
1-15     procedure under which a student may affirmatively approve the use
1-16     of a fee or portion of a fee described by Subsection (a).  The
1-17     procedure must provide fair notice to all students of the purpose
1-18     for which the fee or portion of the fee will be used.  If only a
1-19     portion of a fee is to be used to support an organization described
1-20     by Subsection (a), the institution must reduce the amount of the
1-21     fee charged to a student who does not affirmatively approve the use
1-22     of the fee for that purpose by an amount equal to the portion of
1-23     the fee used for that purpose for a student who affirmatively
1-24     approves that use.
 2-1           SECTION 2. (a)  This Act takes effect January 1, 2002.
 2-2           (b)  The change in law made by this Act applies only to the
 2-3     imposition of fees by an institution of higher education for a term
 2-4     or semester that begins on or after the effective date of this Act.
 2-5     The imposition of fees by an institution of higher education for a
 2-6     term or semester that begins before the effective date of this Act
 2-7     is governed by the law as it existed immediately before the
 2-8     effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for
 2-9     that purpose.