This website will be unavailable from Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. through Monday, June 3, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. due to data center maintenance.

                                                                                


By:  Quintanilla                                                  H.B. No. 2212



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the student union fee charged at The University of Texas 
at El Paso.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 54.535, Education Code, is amended to 
read as follows:   
	Sec. 54.535.  STUDENT UNION FEE;  THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT 
EL PASO.  (a)  The board of regents of The University of Texas System 
may levy a student union fee not to exceed $75 [$30] per student for 
each regular semester or each summer session of 8 six weeks or more, 
and not to exceed $37.50 [$15] per student for each summer session 
of less than six weeks, for the sole purpose of financing, 
constructing, operating, maintaining, and improving a student 
union building for The University of Texas at El Paso.
	(b)  The board of regents may pledge the fees charged under 
this section to pay obligations issued pursuant to the revenue 
financing system of The University of Texas System.
	(c)  Subject to the limit provided by Subsection (a), the 
board of regents may increase the student union fee in order to 
provide sufficient funds to support the operation of the student 
union.  Unless the increase is approved by a majority vote of those 
students participating in a general student election called at The 
University of Texas at El Paso for that purpose, an increase for any 
academic year may not exceed $3 per student per semester or term of 
10 weeks or more, or $1.50 per student for a shorter term.
	(d)  A fee imposed under this section is in addition to any 
other fee authorized by law and may not be considered in determining 
the maximum amount of student services fees that may be imposed 
under Section 54.503[;  provided, however, that the fee may not be 
increased above $15 per student for each regular semester or each 
summer session of six weeks or more and $7.50 per student for each 
summer session of less than six weeks unless the increase is 
approved by a majority vote of those students participating in a 
general election.  The fees herein authorized to be levied are in 
addition to any use or service fee now or hereafter authorized to be 
levied.  (b)  Such fees shall be deposited to an account known as 
The University of Texas at El Paso student union fee account and 
shall be placed under the control of and subject to the order of the 
Student Union Advisory Committee.  The committee shall annually 
submit to the president of The University of Texas at El Paso a 
complete and itemized budget to be accompanied by a full and 
complete report of all activities conducted during the past year 
and all expenditures made incident thereto.  The president shall 
submit the budget to the board of regents as part of the 
institutional budget.  The board of regents shall make such changes 
in the budget as it deems necessary before approving the budget, and 
shall then levy the fees, within the limits herein fixed, in such 
amounts as will be sufficient to meet the budgetary needs of the 
student union building].
	SECTION 2.  Section 54.535, Education Code, as amended by 
this Act, takes effect beginning with the 2005 fall semester.
	SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.