By:  Lucio                                             S.B. No. 743
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the tuition charged to certain foreign students
 1-3     enrolled in a graduate public health course in a border county.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 54.060, Education Code, is amended to
 1-6     read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 54.060.  RESIDENT OF BORDERING STATE OR NATION OR
 1-8     PARTICIPANT IN STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM:  TUITION.  (a)  The
 1-9     nonresident tuition fee prescribed by this chapter does not apply
1-10     to a nonresident student who is a resident of Arkansas, Louisiana,
1-11     New Mexico, or Oklahoma and who registers in a public upper-level
1-12     institution of higher education, Lamar State College--Orange, Lamar
1-13     State College--Port Arthur, a Texas public junior college, or a
1-14     public technical institute that is situated in a county immediately
1-15     adjacent to the state in which the nonresident student resides.
1-16     The nonresident tuition fee prescribed by this chapter does not
1-17     apply to a nonresident student who is a resident of New Mexico or
1-18     Oklahoma and who registers in a public technical institute that is
1-19     situated in a county that is within 100 miles of the state in which
1-20     the nonresident student resides and who is admitted for the purpose
1-21     of utilizing available instructional facilities.  The nonresident
1-22     student described in this subsection shall pay an amount equivalent
1-23     to the amount charged a Texas student registered at a similar
1-24     school in the state in which the nonresident student resides.  For
1-25     purposes of this subsection, "public upper-level institution of
 2-1     higher education" means an institution of higher education that
 2-2     offers only junior-level and senior-level courses or only
 2-3     junior-level, senior-level, and graduate-level courses.
 2-4           (b)  The foreign student tuition fee prescribed in this
 2-5     chapter does not apply to a foreign student who is a resident of a
 2-6     nation situated adjacent to Texas, demonstrates financial need as
 2-7     provided by Subsection (c), and [who] registers in:
 2-8                 (1)  any general academic teaching institution[, as
 2-9     defined in Section 61.003(3) of this code,] or component of the
2-10     Texas State Technical College System located in a county
2-11     immediately adjacent to the nation in which the foreign student
2-12     resides;
2-13                 (2)  [or who registers for] lower division courses at a
2-14     community or junior college having a partnership agreement pursuant
2-15     to Subchapter N, Chapter 51, [of this code,] with an upper-level
2-16     university and both institutions are located in the county
2-17     immediately adjacent to the nation in which the foreign student
2-18     resides;
2-19                 (3)  [, or who registers in] Texas A&M
2-20     University--Kingsville or Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi; or
2-21                 (4)  courses that are part of a graduate degree program
2-22     in public health and are conducted in a county immediately adjacent
2-23     to the nation in which the foreign student resides[, and, except as
2-24     provided by this subsection, who demonstrates a financial need
2-25     after the financial resources of the foreign student and the
2-26     student's family are considered].
 3-1           (c)  A [The] foreign student to whom Subsection (b) applies
 3-2     [described in this subsection] shall pay tuition equal to that
 3-3     charged Texas residents under Sections 54.051 and 54.0512 [of this
 3-4     code].  The coordinating board shall adopt rules governing the
 3-5     determination of financial need of students to whom Subsection (b)
 3-6     applies [under this subsection] and rules governing a pilot project
 3-7     to be established at general academic teaching institutions and at
 3-8     components of the Texas State Technical College System in counties
 3-9     that are not immediately adjacent to the nation in which the
3-10     foreign student resides.
3-11           (d) [(c)]  The coordinating board by rule shall establish a
3-12     program with the United Mexican States and with Canada for the
3-13     exchange of students and shall establish programs with other
3-14     nations for the exchange of students to the extent practicable.
3-15     The foreign student tuition fee prescribed in this chapter does not
3-16     apply to a foreign student participating in an exchange program
3-17     established under this section.
3-18           (e) [(d)]  The coordinating board shall adopt rules to
3-19     determine the number of students who may participate in the
3-20     programs provided by Subsections (b) and (d) [(c) of this section]
3-21     and the students who may transfer from any general academic
3-22     teaching institution or component of the Texas State Technical
3-23     College System in a county immediately adjacent to the nation in
3-24     which the foreign student resides to attend another general
3-25     academic teaching institution or component of the Texas State
3-26     Technical College System to complete a degree, certificate, or
 4-1     diploma or attend graduate school.
 4-2           (f) [(e)]  The payment of resident tuition at Lamar State
 4-3     College--Orange, Lamar State College--Port Arthur, or a public
 4-4     technical institute as authorized by Subsection (a) [of this
 4-5     section] or at an institution of higher education as authorized by
 4-6     Subsection (g) [(f)] does not affect the constitutionally dedicated
 4-7     funding to which institutions of higher education are entitled
 4-8     under Article VII, Section 17, of the Texas Constitution.
 4-9           (g) [(f)]  The nonresident tuition fee prescribed by this
4-10     chapter does not apply to a nonresident student who is a resident
4-11     of a county or parish of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, or
4-12     Oklahoma that is adjacent to this state and who registers in an
4-13     institution of higher education[, as defined by Section 61.003],
4-14     the governing board of which has agreed to admit the student at the
4-15     resident tuition fee prescribed by this chapter.  The state in
4-16     which the student resides must allow a resident of a county of this
4-17     state that is adjacent to that state to register in a public
4-18     institution of higher education in that state at the tuition fee
4-19     charged residents of that state.  The student shall pay tuition
4-20     equal to that charged residents of this state at the institution.
4-21           (h) [(g)]  In this section:
4-22                 (1)  "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
4-23     Education Coordinating Board.
4-24                 (2)  "General academic teaching institution" and[,]
4-25     "public technical institute" have [has] the meanings [meaning]
4-26     assigned by Section 61.003 [of this code].
 5-1           SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act to Section
 5-2     54.060, Education Code, applies beginning with tuition charged for
 5-3     the 2001 fall semester.
 5-4           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
 5-5     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
 5-6     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
 5-7     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
 5-8     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.