1-1     By:  Brown of Brazos (Senate Sponsor - Ogden)         H.B. No. 1024
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House April 23, 2001;
 1-3     April 24, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on
 1-4     Education; May 9, 2001, reported adversely, with favorable
 1-5     Committee Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0;
 1-6     May 9, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-7     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 1024                  By:  Sibley
 1-8                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-9                                   AN ACT
1-10     relating to student center complex fees charged at institutions in
1-11     The Texas A&M University System.
1-12           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-13           SECTION 1.  Section 54.521, Education Code, is amended by
1-14     amending Subsections (a) and (d) and adding Subsections (e) and (f)
1-15     to read as follows:
1-16           (a)  The board of regents of The Texas A&M University System
1-17     may levy a regular, fixed student fee on each student enrolled in
1-18     an educational institution within The Texas A&M University System
1-19     for the purpose of producing revenue for operating, maintaining,
1-20     improving, and equipping the institution's student center complex
1-21     and acquiring or constructing additions to the complex.  The board
1-22     may set fees in amounts it considers just and necessary but not to
1-23     exceed $100 [$40] per student for each semester for the long
1-24     session and not to exceed $50 [$20] per student for each term of
1-25     the summer session, or any fractional part of a session.  The
1-26     activities of the student center complex that may be financed in
1-27     whole or in part by the student center complex fee are limited to
1-28     those activities in which the entire student body is eligible to
1-29     participate.  The financed activities may not be held outside the
1-30     territorial limits of any educational institution within The Texas
1-31     A&M University System.
1-32           (d)  The decision to levy a student center complex fee and
1-33     [,] the amount of the initial fee[, and an increase in the fee]
1-34     must be approved by a majority vote of those students participating
1-35     in a general election called for that purpose.
1-36           (e)  The fee authorized by this section may not be increased
1-37     from one academic year to the next unless the increase has been
1-38     approved by a majority vote of the students at the affected
1-39     institution participating in a general election called for that
1-40     purpose.  The fee may not exceed the maximum amounts provided by
1-41     Subsection (a).
1-42           (f)  The president of each institution in the system shall
1-43     establish a formal system for soliciting and receiving student
1-44     comment with respect to matters of construction and operation of a
1-45     facility or program financed by a fee charged under this section.
1-46           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
1-47     to fees imposed for a semester or term that begins on or after the
1-48     effective date of this Act.
1-49           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
1-50     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
1-51     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
1-52     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
1-53     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
1-54                                  * * * * *