1-1     By:  Staples                                           S.B. No. 628
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed February 9, 2001; February 12, 2001,
 1-3     read first time and referred to Committee on Education;
 1-4     March 8, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 8,
 1-5     Nays 0; March 8, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to imposing a recreational facility fee at The University
 1-9     of Texas at Tyler.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Subchapter E, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
1-12     amended by adding Section 54.5341 to read as follows:
1-13           Sec. 54.5341.  STUDENT RECREATIONAL FACILITY FEE; THE
1-14     UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT TYLER.  (a)  The board of regents of The
1-15     University of Texas System may impose a recreational facility fee
1-16     on each student enrolled at The University of Texas at Tyler.  The
1-17     fee may not be imposed unless approved by a majority vote of the
1-18     students participating in a general student election held at the
1-19     university for that purpose.
1-20           (b)  The amount of the fee may not exceed:
1-21                 (1)  $40 per student for each regular semester;
1-22                 (2)  $30 per student for each summer session of 12
1-23     weeks or longer;
1-24                 (3)  $15 per student for each summer session of six
1-25     weeks or more but less than 12 weeks; and
1-26                 (4)  $10 per student for each summer session that is
1-27     shorter than six weeks.
1-28           (c)  The board may:
1-29                 (1)  use revenue from the fee only to finance,
1-30     construct, equip, operate, maintain, or improve a recreational
1-31     facility or program at the university; and
1-32                 (2)  pledge revenue from the fee to pay an obligation
1-33     issued under the revenue financing system of The University of
1-34     Texas System.
1-35           (d)  The board shall deposit revenue from the fee to the
1-36     credit of an account known as "The University of Texas at Tyler
1-37     recreational facility fee account" under the control of the student
1-38     fee advisory committee established under Section 54.5031.
1-39           (e)  The student fee advisory committee annually shall submit
1-40     to the board a complete and itemized budget for the recreational
1-41     facility with a complete report of all recreational facility
1-42     activities conducted during the past year and all expenditures made
1-43     in connection with those activities.  The board may make changes in
1-44     the budget that the board determines are necessary.  After
1-45     approving the budget, the board, in accordance with this section,
1-46     may impose the recreational facility fees for that year in amounts
1-47     sufficient to meet the budgetary needs of the recreational
1-48     facility.  If the budget approved by the board contains an
1-49     expenditure for the construction of a facility, the board may
1-50     contract for the construction of the facility.
1-51           (f)  The board may not increase the amount of the
1-52     recreational facility fee unless the amount of the increase is
1-53     approved by a majority vote of the students participating in a
1-54     general student election held at the university for that purpose.
1-55           (g)  A fee imposed under this section is in addition to any
1-56     other fee the board is authorized by law to impose.
1-57           (h)  A fee imposed under this section may not be considered
1-58     in determining the maximum amount of student services fees that may
1-59     be imposed under Section 54.503(b).
1-60           (i)  If a recreational facility fee as described by this
1-61     section was approved by a majority vote of the students of the
1-62     university participating in a general student election held on or
1-63     after January 1, 2000, the board of regents may impose the fee
1-64     without calling an additional election under Subsection (a).  This
 2-1     subsection expires January 1, 2003.
 2-2           SECTION 2.  This Act applies beginning with the 2001 fall
 2-3     semester.
 2-4           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
 2-5     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
 2-6     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
 2-7     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
 2-8     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
 2-9                                  * * * * *