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 * * * * *