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.