By:  Zaffirini                                                    S.B. No. 32 


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to certain special tuition rates at institutions of higher 
education.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 54, Education Code, is 
amended by adding Section 54.0514 to read as follows:
	Sec. 54.0514.  SPECIAL SUMMER TUITION RATES.  The governing 
board of an institution of higher education may charge an 
undergraduate student enrolled for a summer term or session at the 
institution an amount of tuition that is less than the amount of 
tuition otherwise charged under Section 54.0513, but not less than 
one-half of that amount.
	SECTION 2.  Section 54.072, Education Code, is amended to 
read as follows:   
	Sec. 54.072.  FLAT RATE TUITION [PILOT PROJECT].  (a)  In 
this section, "flat rate tuition" means all academic program costs 
related to enrollment in an academic course or degree program that 
are charged to a student, including all charges designated as 
tuition, mandatory fees, and incidental fees.  The term does not 
include voluntary fees.
	(b)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, 
the governing board of an institution of higher education [regents 
of The University of Texas System] may charge flat rate [establish a 
pilot project at The University of Texas at Austin involving not 
more than two colleges or degree programs designated by the board of 
regents under which the university charges the same amount of] 
tuition and fees, in a different amount for each group, to each of 
the following groups of [all undergraduate] students enrolled in a 
college or degree program at the institution:
		(1)  all undergraduate resident students;                              
		(2)  all undergraduate nonresident students;                           
		(3)  all graduate resident students; and                               
		(4)  all graduate nonresident students [included in the 
pilot project].
	(c)  The board [of regents] may not require a full-time 
student who pays flat rate tuition and fees under this section [the 
pilot project] to pay more tuition and fees than the average amount 
of tuition and fees that a student [not included in the pilot 
project] would pay for enrolling in the institution [university for 
14 semester credit hours] for the same semester or term for:
		(1)  15 semester credit hours if the student is an 
undergraduate student; or
		(2)  nine semester credit hours if the student is a 
graduate student.
	(d)  An institution is permitted to establish a different 
flat-rate amount for each college or degree program [The board of 
regents shall evaluate the effect of flat rate tuition charged 
under the pilot project on the number of semester credit hours taken 
by students included in the project each semester.  The board shall 
report the results of the evaluation to the legislature not later 
than December 31, 2002, and December 31, 2004].
	(e)  Upon receiving approval from the governing board for 
flat rate tuition amounts as allowed under this section, the 
institution shall report each flat rate tuition amount to the Texas 
Higher Education Coordinating Board and provide the calculations 
used in determining those amounts [This section expires September 
1, 2005].
	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 on the 91st day after the last day of the 
legislative session.