By:  Staples                                                      S.B. No. 334
	(In the Senate - Filed January 30, 2003; February 11, 2003, 
read first time and referred to Committee on Education; 
April 22, 2003, reported adversely, with favorable Committee 
Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 9, Nays 0; April 22, 2003, 
sent to printer.)


COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 334                                    By:  Staples


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT


relating to student center fees at Stephen F. Austin State 
University.    
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 54.520, Education Code, is amended by 
amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection (d) to read 
as follows:
	(a)  To the extent approved by the students under Subsection 
(b) [of this section], the board of regents of Stephen F. Austin 
State University may charge each student enrolled in one or more 
courses conducted by [on the main campus of] the university a 
[regular, fixed] fee in the amount of $9 for each semester credit 
hour, in a total amount of at least $35 but not to exceed $85 [$15] 
per student for each semester or [of the long session and not to 
exceed $7.50 per student for all or part of each six-week term of 
the] summer session, for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, 
renovating, operating, maintaining, improving, equipping, and 
financing a [the] university center [and acquiring] or 
[constructing] additions to the center.  [The amount of the fee may 
be changed at any time within the limits specified in order to 
provide sufficient funds to support the university center.]  The 
fees authorized in this section supplement any other use or service 
fee authorized by law.
	(b)  The decision to levy [such] a fee under this section[, 
the amount of the initial fee, and any increase in the fee] must be 
approved by a majority vote of those students participating in a 
general election called for that purpose.
	(d)  To provide sufficient money to support the university 
center, the board of regents may increase the amount of a fee 
charged under this section at any time, except that the amount of 
the fee may not be increased by more than 10 percent from one 
academic year to the next unless the increase has been approved by a 
majority vote of those students participating in a general student 
election called for that purpose.
	SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only 
to fees imposed for a semester or term that begins on or after the 
effective date of this Act.
	SECTION 3.  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.



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