By:  Quintanilla (Senate Sponsor - Shapleigh)                     H.B. No. 2212
	(In the Senate - Received from the House April 11, 2005; 
April 12, 2005, read first time and referred to Subcommittee on 
Higher Education; May 19, 2005, reported favorably to Committee on 
Education; May 23, 2005, reported adversely, with favorable 
Committee Substitute from Committee on Education by the following 
vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 23, 2005, sent to printer.)


COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 2212                                   By:  Van de Putte


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT


relating to the student union fee 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 impose [levy] a student union fee not to exceed $30 per student 
for each regular semester or each summer session of six weeks or 
more, and not to exceed $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.  The maximum 
amount of the fee that may be charged per student for each regular 
semester or each summer session may be increased to an amount not to 
exceed $50 if that maximum amount is approved by a two-thirds vote 
of those students participating in a general student election 
called at the university for that purpose.  The election may be held 
at the same time as an election under Subsection (b) to increase the 
amount of the fee charged.
	(b)  Subject to the limits provided by Subsection (a), the 
board of regents may increase the amount of the student union fee 
charged to a student in order to provide sufficient funds to support 
the operation of the student union building.  The amount of the 
student union fee charged may not be increased from one academic 
year to the next by more than $3 per student for a regular semester 
or summer session of six weeks or more, or by more than $1.50 per 
student for a summer session of less than six weeks, unless the 
increase is approved by a two-thirds vote of those students 
participating in a general student election called at the 
university for that purpose.
	(c)  A student union fee imposed under this section is in 
addition to any other fee the board of regents is authorized by law 
to impose 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.  The changes in law made by this Act apply 
beginning with fees imposed for the 2005 fall semester.
	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, 2005.



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