BILL ANALYSIS
By: Lucio III
Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College currently fund their athletic programs through a general student services fee. The Athletics department currently has a budget of $1.2 million, and the student service fee is $12 per credit hour with a $150 per student cap. This student service fee is also used for programs such as Scorpion Scholars, LAMP, Sting Success Series, Student Government, Student Employment Initiative, tutoring services, counseling services, student activities, and many other programs. The Athletics department receives 37% of the total funds raised through the general student service fee. With these funds it offers programs in baseball, men's and women's golf, volleyball, and men's and women's soccer.
HB 1505 provides for an intercollegiate athletics fee for the University of Texas at Brownsville.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
SECTION 1: Subchapter E, Chapter 54 of the Education Code is amended by adding Section 54.551. The board of regents of The University of Texas System may impose on each student enrolled at UT Brownsville an intercollegiate athletics fee in an amount not to exceed $7 per semester credit hour. The revenue from the fee shall be deposited to an account known as The University of Texas at Brownsville intercollegiate athletics fee account. Money in the account shall be used in accordance with the terms of the partnership agreements entered into between the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.
The board may not increase the amount of the fee by more than 10 percent from one academic year to the next unless the increase is approved by a majority vote of the students participating in a general student election for that purpose and a majority of the members of the legislative body of the student government. An intercollegiate fee is in addition to any other fee the board is authorized by law to impose.
Subject to the limitations imposed by this section, the fee imposed must be in the same amount as the intercollegiate athletics fee charged a student at Texas Southmost College by the board of trustees of the Southmost Union Junior College District. A student attending either or both institutions may be charged an intercollegiate athletics fee by only one of the institutions.
SECTION 2: This Act applies beginning with the 2007 fall semester.
SECTION 3: Effective date.
EFFECTIVE DATE
Upon passage, or, if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2007. This Act applies beginning with the 2007 fall semester.