By:  Janek                                                        S.B. No. 1546


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to laboratory and certain other related fees for public 
junior colleges.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 54.501, Education Code, is amended by 
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (c) to read as 
follows:
	(a)  An institution of higher education shall set and collect 
a laboratory fee [charge] in an amount sufficient to cover [in 
general] the general cost of laboratory materials and supplies used 
by a student.  An [For an] institution other than a public junior 
college may[, the laboratory] charge a laboratory fee in an amount 
that is [shall be] not less than $2 nor more than $30 for any one 
semester or summer term for a [any] student in any one laboratory 
course, except that the amount of the laboratory fee may [but 
shall] not exceed the cost of actual materials and supplies used by 
the student.  A [For a] public junior college may[, the laboratory] 
charge a laboratory fee in an amount that does not exceed the lesser 
of [shall be not more than] $24 per semester credit hour of 
laboratory course credit for which the [any one semester or summer 
term for any] student is enrolled or [in any one laboratory course, 
but shall not exceed] the cost of actual materials and supplies used 
by the student.
	(c)  The governing board of a public junior college may set 
and collect a fee per contact hour, not to exceed $4, for each 
person registered in an aerospace mechanics certification course 
where the fee is required to offset that portion of the cost of the 
course, including the cost of equipment and of professional 
instruction or tutoring, that is not covered by state funding or by 
the fee in Subsection (a).
	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.