|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the student endowment scholarship and internship |
|
|
program fund at Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter E, Chapter 54, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 54.5395 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 54.5395. STUDENT ENDOWMENT FUND FEE; TEXAS A&M |
|
|
UNIVERSITY--CORPUS CHRISTI. (a) The board of regents of The Texas |
|
|
A&M University System may impose a student endowment fund fee on |
|
|
each student enrolled at Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi. The |
|
|
fee may not be imposed unless approved by a majority vote of the |
|
|
students participating in a general student election held at the |
|
|
university under Section 56.243. |
|
|
(b) The amount of the fee may not exceed $1 per semester |
|
|
credit hour for each regular semester or summer session, unless the |
|
|
amount is increased as provided by Subsection (c). |
|
|
(c) The amount of the fee may not be increased by more than |
|
|
10 percent unless the increase has been approved by a majority vote |
|
|
of the students enrolled at the university who participate in a |
|
|
general student election called for that purpose. |
|
|
(d) A fee imposed under this section must be used to |
|
|
establish a student endowment fund under Section 56.247. |
|
|
(e) 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(b). |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 56.243, Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 56.243. ELECTION TO PARTICIPATE. A [Not later than
|
|
|
September 1, 2004, a] general academic teaching institution may |
|
|
elect to participate in the Student Endowment Scholarship and |
|
|
Internship Program. For the institution to make the election, the |
|
|
student government of the institution must determine by official |
|
|
action that the program would benefit the institution. If the |
|
|
student government determines that the program would benefit the |
|
|
institution, in a general election called for that purpose a |
|
|
majority of the students of the institution voting in the election |
|
|
must approve an additional fee and the potential matching grant |
|
|
from the state. If the majority approves the additional fee and |
|
|
potential matching grant from the state, the governing board of the |
|
|
institution shall impose and decide the structure of the additional |
|
|
fee. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 56.246, Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 56.246. AMOUNT OF SCHOLARSHIP OR INTERNSHIP FUNDING. |
|
|
(a) [During the five-year period during which the institution may
|
|
|
receive state matching funds, the amount of student endowment
|
|
|
scholarship funding for an internship may not exceed $500 per
|
|
|
semester or summer session.
|
|
|
[(b)] The amount of a student endowment scholarship may not |
|
|
exceed the amount of tuition and required fees that a student would |
|
|
be charged by the institution. |
|
|
(b) [(c)] The amount of student endowment internship |
|
|
funding may not exceed the amount of tuition and required fees that |
|
|
a student would be charged by the institution during the student's |
|
|
period of internship. |
|
|
(c) [(d)] On receipt of a scholarship or internship funding |
|
|
under this subchapter, a student must comply with any applicable |
|
|
conditions of the scholarship or internship funding. |
|
|
SECTION 4. Subsections (a) and (c), Section 56.247, |
|
|
Education Code, are amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(a) Each institution shall establish a student endowment |
|
|
fund consisting of the revenue from the additional student fee[,
|
|
|
the state matching funds appropriated for the purpose,] and the |
|
|
interest and other income from investment of the fund. The fund |
|
|
shall be invested by the governing board in accordance with the |
|
|
policies governing investment of other funds held and invested by |
|
|
the board on behalf of the institution. |
|
|
(c) Scholarships and internships may be paid from both the |
|
|
income and the principal of the fund, except that after the first |
|
|
five-year period after the date the fund is established, [during
|
|
|
which state matching funds are payable, for any year] not more than |
|
|
five percent of the principal of the fund may be expended for |
|
|
scholarships and internships for any year. |
|
|
SECTION 5. This Act applies beginning with the 2007 fall |
|
|
semester. |
|
|
SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |