C.S.H.B. 3425 78(R) BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 3425 By: Lewis Higher Education Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, the Student Service Fee is the primary source of funding for all extracurricular activities at Prairie View A&M University. Because school sponsored athletics receives 26 percent of the funds from the Student Service Fee, a number of other extracurricular activities are suffering due to lack of funding. Recently, the Prairie View student body voted overwhelmingly to levy a fee that would be designated solely for school sponsored athletics. CSHB 3425 allows 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 It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS CSHB 3425 amends Subchapter E, Chapter 54, Education Code, by adding Section 54.5393 to authorize the board of regents at 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. The bill provides that the fee imposed on a student in a semester or session may not exceed the amount of the fee imposed on a student enrolled in 15 semester credit hours during the same semester or session. The bill provides that the fee may not be imposed unless approved by a majority vote of the students of the university participating in a general student election held for that purpose. The bill provides that the amount of the fee per semester credit hour may 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. The bill provides that if the amount of the increase exceeds five percent, the increase must also be approved by a majority vote of the students of the university participating in a general student election held for that purpose. The bill provides that a fee imposed by this Act may be used to develop and maintain an intercollegiate athletics program at the university, and that the fee is in addition to any other fee authorized by law and may not be considered in determining the maximum amount of student services fee that may be imposed under Section 54.503. EFFECTIVE DATE This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2003. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE The substitute conforms the original to Texas Legislative Council style and format.