By:  Deuell                                                       S.B. No. 702


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to authorizing certain uses for student center complex 
fees charged to students enrolled in component institutions of The 
Texas A&M University System.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  The heading to Section 54.521, Education Code, 
is amended to read as follows:
	Sec. 54.521.  STUDENT CENTER FACILITY [COMPLEX] FEES; TEXAS 
A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM.
	SECTION 2.  Subsections (a) through (d), Section 54.521, 
Education Code, are amended to read as follows:
	(a)  The board of regents of The Texas A&M University System 
may levy a regular, fixed student fee on each student enrolled in an 
educational institution within The Texas A&M University System for 
the purpose of acquiring, constructing, renovating, [producing 
revenue for] operating, maintaining, improving, adding to, 
replacing, financing, and equipping one or more [the institution's] 
student center facilities for the institution [complex and 
acquiring or constructing additions to the complex].  The board may 
set fees in amounts it considers just and necessary but not to 
exceed $100 per student for each semester for the long session and 
not to exceed $50 per student for each term of the summer session, 
or any fractional part of a session.  The activities of a [the] 
student center facility [complex] that may be financed in whole or 
in part by the student center facility [complex] fee are limited to 
those activities in which the entire student body is eligible to 
participate.  The financed activities may not be held outside the 
territorial limits of any educational institution within The Texas 
A&M University System.
	(b)  The comptroller of each institution shall collect the 
fees levied under Subsection (a) of this section and shall credit 
the money received from the fees to an account known as the student 
center facility [complex] fee account.
	(c)  The money collected and placed in the student center 
facility [complex] fee account may be used only for the purposes 
provided by Subsection (a) of this section.  A complete and itemized 
budget shall be submitted to the board annually and must be 
accompanied by a full and complete report of all activities 
conducted during the past year and all expenditures made incident 
to the activities.  The board shall make changes in the budget it 
considers necessary before approving the budget, and shall then 
levy the fees in amounts sufficient to meet the approved budget 
[budgetary needs of the center], within the limits fixed by this 
section.
	(d)  The decision to levy a student center facility [complex] 
fee and the amount of the initial fee must be approved by a majority 
vote of those students participating in a general election called 
for that purpose.
	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.