H.B. No. 1621




AN ACT
relating to use of certain fees and tuition charged by public junior colleges and to the waiver of a portion of the tuition and fees for a student enrolled in a course for joint high school-junior college credit. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Sections 130.008(b) and (c), Education Code, are amended to read as follows: (b) The junior college may waive all or part of the tuition and fees [fee] for a high school student enrolled in a course for which the student may receive joint credit under this section. (c) The contact hours attributable to the enrollment of a high school student in a course offered for joint high school and junior college credit under this section shall be included in the contact hours used to determine the junior college's proportionate share of the state money appropriated and distributed to public junior colleges under Sections 130.003 and 130.0031, even if the junior college waives all or part of the tuition or fees [fee] for the student under Subsection (b). SECTION 2. Section 130.123(e), Education Code, is amended to read as follows: (e) In addition to the revenues, fees, and other resources authorized to be pledged to the payment of bonds issued hereunder, each board further shall be authorized to pledge irrevocably to such payment, out of the tuition charges required or permitted by law to be imposed at its institution or institutions, an amount not exceeding 25 percent of the tuition charges collected [$15] from each enrolled student for each [regular] semester or [and $7.50 from each enrolled student for each summer] term, and each board also shall be authorized to pledge to such payment all or any part of any grant, donation, or income received or to be received from the United States government or any other public or private source, whether pursuant to an agreement or otherwise. SECTION 3. Section 56.033(a), Education Code, is amended to read as follows: (a) The governing board of each institution of higher education, including the Texas State Technical College System, shall cause to be set aside: (1) not less than 15 percent nor more than 20 percent out of each resident student's tuition charge under Section 54.051 as provided by the General Appropriations Act for the applicable academic year; (2) three percent out of each nonresident student's tuition charge under Section 54.051; (3) not less than six percent nor more than 20 percent out of each resident student's hourly tuition charge exclusive of out-of-district charges, and $1.50 out of each nonresident student's hourly tuition charge, for academic courses at a public community or junior college; and (4) not less than six percent nor more than 20 percent of hourly tuition charges exclusive of out-of-district charges for vocational-technical courses at a public community or junior college. SECTION 4. 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. ______________________________ ______________________________ President of the Senate Speaker of the House I certify that H.B. No. 1621 was passed by the House on May 5, 2003, by the following vote: Yeas 139, Nays 0, 1 present, not voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. No. 1621 on May 30, 2003, by the following vote: Yeas 142, Nays 0, 2 present, not voting. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House I certify that H.B. No. 1621 was passed by the Senate, with amendments, on May 28, 2003, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. ______________________________ Secretary of the Senate APPROVED: __________________ Date __________________ Governor