Honorable Kel Seliger, Chair, Senate Committee on Higher Education
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB19 by Seliger (Relating to temporary limitations on the amount of tuition and fees charged by certain public institutions of higher education.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill relates to temporary limitations on the amount of tuition and fees charged by certain public institutions of higher education. Under provisions of the bill, the total amount of designated tuition and fees charged by a general academic institution to a student for the 2018-19 (fiscal year 2019), 2019-2020 (fiscal year 2020), 2020-21(fiscal year 2021) or 2021-2022 (fiscal year 2022) academic years could not exceed the total amount of tuition that an institution would have charged a similarly situated student in the 2016-17 academic year (fiscal year 2017). Institutions could implement a tuition increase for the 2017-18 academic year (fiscal year 2018) but would have to roll back the tuition increase for fiscal years 2019-2022 to tuition rates from the 2016-17 academic year (fiscal year 2017).
Designated tuition and fees within Subchapter E of the Texas Education Code, Chapter 54, except for laboratory fees, student teaching fees, and special course fees, are classified as institutional funds; therefore, there would be no impact to the State. Laboratory fees, student teaching fees, and special course fees under Subchapter E of the Texas Education Code, Chapter 54, are accounted for as educational and general income, or statutory tuition, in the General Appropriations Act. It is assumed that the provisions of the bill would not have a significant effect on this income.
Based on information provided by institutions of higher education, the bill would result in a loss in tuition revenue, which could reach a significant amount.
Administrative duties associated with the bill would be implemented within current resources.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 719 Texas State Technical College System Administration, 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