SRC-AMY H.B. 3425 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center H.B. 3425 78R9866 JSA-FBy: Lewis (Armbrister) Subcommittee on Higher Education 5/16/2003 Engrossed DIGEST AND PURPOSE Currently, the student service fee is the primary source of funding for all extracurricular activities at Prairie View A&M University. School-sponsored athletics receive 26 percent of the funds from the student service fee and some other extracurricular activities are experiencing a lack of funding. The Prairie View A&M student body has voted to levy a fee designated solely for school-sponsored athletics. H.B. 3425 authorizes the board of regents of The Texas A&M University System to levy an intercollegiate student athletic fee on all students enrolled at Prairie View A&M University. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter E, Chapter 54, Education Code, by adding Section 54.5393, as follows: Sec. 54.5393. INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS FEE: PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY. (a) Authorizes the board of regents of The Texas A&M University System to impose an intercollegiate athletics fee on each student enrolled at Prairie View A&M University in an amount not to exceed $10 per semester credit hour. (b) Prohibits the amount of the fee imposed on a student in a semester or session from exceeding the amount of the fee imposed on a student enrolled in 15 semester credit hours during the same semester or session. (c) Prohibits the fee from being imposed unless approved by a majority vote of the students of the university participating in a general student election held for that purpose. (d) Authorizes the amount of the fee per semester credit hour to be increased from one academic year to the next only if approved by a majority vote of the legislative body of the student government of the university. Requires the increase, if the amount of the increase exceeds five percent, to also be approved by a majority vote of the students of the university participating in a general student election held for that purpose. (e) Authorizes a fee imposed under this section to be used to develop and maintain an intercollegiate athletics program at the university. (f) Provides that a fee imposed under this section is in addition to any other fee authorized by law and is prohibited from being considered in determining the maximum amount of student services fees that is authorized to be imposed under Section 54.503 (Student Services Fee). SECTION 2. Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 2003 fall semester. SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2003.