LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 82ND LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

May 10, 2011

TO:	Honorable Dan Branch, Chair, House Committee on Higher Education
FROM:	John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB32 by Zaffirini (Relating to the consolidation of related higher education programs governing tuition, fee exemptions, and waivers respective to specific target populations.), As Engrossed

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would consolidate all tuition exemptions and waivers into one chapter of the Texas Education Code and would amend statutory provisions governing tuition, fee exemptions, and waivers respective to specific target populations in higher education. The bill also clarifies which programs are optional or mandatory, and reimbursed or unreimbursed. 

This bill would allow governing boards to waive all or part of designated tuition or student services fees in case of undue economic hardship on students. Institutions may not grant waivers for student service fees to more than 10 percent of the institution's total enrollment for that semester.

There are no anticipated costs to institutions of higher education. This bill would require increases or decreases to various benefit programs, which would represent institutional costs/savings that generally offset each other.

Local Government Impact

No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 720 The University of Texas System Administration, 758 Texas State University System, 768 Texas Tech University System Administration, 769 University of North Texas System Administration, 781 Higher Education Coordinating Board, 783 University of Houston System Administration

LBB Staff:

JOB, KK, RT, GO, SDE