By: West S.B. No. 1655
 
  (Morrison)
 
   
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board fees for the
  administration of certificates of authorization and certificates
  of authority issued to certain postsecondary educational
  institutions; authorizing fees.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 61.303, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsections (g) and (h) to read as follows:
         (g)  The board by rule may establish a fee to be charged by
  the board to cover all or a portion of the board's costs associated
  with:
               (1)  issuing, maintaining, or revising a certificate of
  authorization or certificate of authority; and
               (2)  maintaining a repository for student transcripts
  from closed institutions that were authorized to operate under a
  certificate of authorization or certificate of authority.
         (h)  The amount of a fee established under Subsection (g) may
  not exceed the following:
               (1)  $1,500 for an initial approval;
               (2)  $750 for an annual review;
               (3)  $250 for an institution name change;
               (4)  $250 for a degree, program, or credential-level
  change;
               (5)  $250 for a new degree, program, or credential
  level;
               (6)  $500 for an accrediting agency change; or
               (7)  $500 for an ownership or governance change.
         SECTION 2.  Section 61.315, Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 61.315.  AGENTS AND RECORDS; TRANSCRIPT REPOSITORY AND
  RELATED FEES. (a)  The authorized or certified institutions may be
  required to furnish a list of their agents to the board, and to
  maintain records of students enrolled, credits awarded, and degrees
  awarded in a manner specified by the board.
         (b)  The board shall maintain a repository for student
  transcripts from closed institutions that were authorized to
  operate under a certificate of authorization or certificate of
  authority using fees received by the board from institutions
  operating under those certificates as part of the institutions'
  initial and ongoing authorization to operate. If those fees are not
  sufficient to cover the cost of maintaining the repository, the
  board may discontinue its maintenance of the repository, unless
  adequate state funding is provided for that maintenance. The board
  may charge a fee to students requesting transcript copies
  maintained in the repository, not to exceed the cost of retrieving,
  reproducing, and sending the transcript copies. A closed or
  closing institution shall provide its student transcript records to
  the board in the format specified by the board for inclusion in the
  repository.
         SECTION 3.  Subchapter H, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 61.4031 to read as follows:
         Sec. 61.4031.  CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORIZATION OR AUTHORITY
  FEE. (a)  The board by rule may establish a fee to be charged by the
  board to cover all or a portion of the board's costs associated
  with:
               (1)  issuing, maintaining, or revising a certificate of
  authorization or certificate of authority issued under a rule
  adopted under this subchapter; and
               (2)  maintaining a repository for student transcripts
  from closed institutions that were authorized to operate under a
  certificate of authorization or certificate of authority issued
  under a rule adopted under this subchapter.
         (b)  The amount of a fee established under this section may
  not exceed the following:
               (1)  $1,500 for an initial approval;
               (2)  $750 for an annual review;
               (3)  $250 for an institution name change;
               (4)  $250 for a degree, program, or credential-level
  change;
               (5)  $250 for a new degree, program, or credential
  level;
               (6)  $500 for an accrediting agency change; or
               (7)  $500 for an ownership or governance change.
         SECTION 4.  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, 2015.