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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the academic costs charged to resident undergraduate |
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students by general academic teaching institutions and to certain |
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reports regarding certain costs of those institutions. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 54, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 54.016 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 54.016. LIMITATION ON INCREASE IN TOTAL ACADEMIC COSTS |
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CHARGED TO RESIDENT UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. (a) In this section: |
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(1) "General academic teaching institution" has the |
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meaning assigned by Section 61.003. |
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(2) "Core operational costs" means those costs as |
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estimated by the Legislative Budget Board under Section 51.973. |
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(3) "Total academic costs": |
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(A) includes: |
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(i) tuition for which the rates are |
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prescribed by this chapter; |
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(ii) tuition charged by a general academic |
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teaching institution under Section 54.0513 or another law |
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authorizing a general academic teaching institution to establish |
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tuition rates; |
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(iii) mandatory academic fees; and |
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(iv) any other academic-related general |
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fees and college course fees, including fees for laboratories, |
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field trips, access to Internet or multimedia service, equipment |
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replacement, and instructional technology; and |
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(B) does not include optional fees charged to a |
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student for voluntary services or a fee approved by students of the |
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institution in a referendum held at the institution for that |
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purpose. |
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(b) This subsection applies to total academic costs charged |
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to students for the 2010-2011, 2011-2012, and 2012-2013 academic |
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years by a general academic teaching institution. In an academic |
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year to which this subsection applies, the total academic costs |
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charged by a general academic teaching institution to an |
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undergraduate student who is a resident of this state may not exceed |
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the total academic costs that the institution would have charged to |
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a similarly situated student in the preceding academic year by more |
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than the greater of: |
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(1) 3.95 percent; or |
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(2) $280. |
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(c) For purposes of this section, students are similarly |
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situated if they share the same residency status, degree program, |
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course load, course level, tuition exemption status, and other |
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circumstances affecting the total academic costs charged to the |
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student. |
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(d) This section does not ensure that the total academic |
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costs charged to an individual student will not increase by more |
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than the limitation prescribed by Subsection (b) based on a change |
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in the student's residency status, degree program, course load, |
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course level, tuition exemption status, or other circumstance |
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affecting the total academic costs charged to the student. |
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(e) This section expires September 1, 2013. |
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SECTION 2. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 51.973 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 51.973. BIENNIAL REPORT BY LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD |
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REGARDING CERTAIN UNIVERSITY COSTS. (a) Not later than September |
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1 of each even-numbered year, the Legislative Budget Board shall |
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submit to the Senate Finance Committee, the House Appropriations |
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Committee, and the standing committee of each house with primary |
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jurisdiction over higher education: |
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(1) for consideration by the members of those |
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committees in determining the amount of general revenue |
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appropriations to general academic teaching institutions and |
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tuition rates at those institutions, the Legislative Budget Board's |
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estimate of the core operational costs for the next state fiscal |
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biennium for each general academic teaching institution, based on a |
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methodology that: |
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(A) projects for each year of the next biennium: |
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(i) changes in student enrollment for each |
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institution; and |
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(ii) a rate of inflation; and |
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(B) uses data from each institution's annual |
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financial report regarding costs for instruction, academic |
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support, institutional support, operations and maintenance of |
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physical plants, and student services; and |
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(2) a certified list of all general academic teaching |
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institutions ranked according to the amount of total academic costs |
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charged per student in the academic years covered by the current |
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state fiscal biennium. |
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(b) Beginning in 2013, the Legislative Budget Board shall |
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submit with its estimate under Subsection (a)(1) a comparison of |
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each institution's actual core operational costs for the preceding |
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state fiscal biennium to the board's previous estimate of the |
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institution's core operational costs for that biennium. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |