86R13100 SOS-F
 
  By: Raney H.B. No. 3266
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to fees charged to students enrolled at component
  institutions of The Texas A&M University System.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 54.5032(a), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a)  A student fee advisory committee is established at each
  component institution of The Texas A&M University System to advise
  the board of regents and the administration of the institution on
  the type, amount, and expenditure of compulsory fees for student
  services under Section 54.503, for student [health and] medical
  services under Section 54.507, for student center facilities under
  Section 54.521, and for recreational sports under Section 54.539.
         SECTION 2.  The heading to Section 54.507, Education Code,
  is amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 54.507.  STUDENT [GROUP HOSPITAL AND] MEDICAL SERVICES
  FEES; THE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM.
         SECTION 3.  Sections 54.507(a), (b), (c), and (f), Education
  Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System
  may levy and collect from each student at any institution of higher
  education which is a part of The Texas A&M University System a
  compulsory student [group hospital and] medical services fee not to
  exceed $200 [$75] for each regular semester and not to exceed $100
  [$25] for each term of each summer session. The compulsory student
  [group hospital and] medical services fee may not be levied unless
  the levy of the fee has been approved by a majority vote of those
  students at the affected institution participating in a general
  student election called for that purpose.
         (b)  In addition to the fee authorized under Subsection (a)
  [of this section], the Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University
  System may levy and collect from each student registered at Prairie
  View A&M University a supplemental student [group hospital and]
  medical services fee not to exceed $30 for each regular semester and
  not to exceed $12.50 for each term of the summer session. The
  supplemental student [group hospital and] medical services fee may
  not be levied unless the levy of the fee has been approved by a
  majority vote of the students registered at Prairie View A&M
  University participating in a general election called for that
  purpose.
         (c)  A fee levied under this section at a component
  institution of The Texas A&M University System may be used only to
  finance, construct, operate, renovate, maintain, or improve new or
  existing student medical facilities or provide [hospital or other]
  medical services to students registered at that component
  institution.
         (f)  An election under this section must also permit the
  students to vote on whether student [hospital and] medical services
  should be provided to students at the institution by the
  institution or by a private entity. The vote by the students on the
  responsibility for provision of student [hospital and] medical
  services to students at the institution is not binding on the
  institution.
         SECTION 4.  Sections 54.521(a) and (e), Education Code, are
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The board of regents of The Texas A&M University System
  may levy a regular, fixed student fee on each student enrolled in an
  educational institution within The Texas A&M University System for
  the purpose of acquiring, constructing, renovating, operating,
  maintaining, improving, adding to, replacing, financing, and
  equipping one or more student center facilities for the
  institution. The board may set fees in amounts it considers just and
  necessary but not to exceed $200 [$100] per student for each
  semester for the long session and not to exceed $100 [$50] per
  student for each term of the summer session, or any fractional part
  of a session. The activities of a student center facility that may
  be financed in whole or in part by the student center facility fee
  are limited to those activities in which the entire student body is
  eligible to participate. The financed activities may not be held
  outside the territorial limits of any educational institution
  within The Texas A&M University System.
         (e)  The amount of the fee authorized by this section may not
  be increased from one academic year to the next by 10 percent or
  more, unless the increase has been approved by a majority vote of
  the students at the affected institution participating in a general
  election called for that purpose or, if the amount of the fee
  increase does not exceed 10 percent, the amount of the fee increase
  has been approved by a majority vote of the board of regents taken
  at a board meeting on the increase after giving students an
  opportunity for public comment on the increase [except that at
  Tarleton State University the fee may be increased by not more than
  10 percent from one academic year to the next without holding an
  election].  The fee may not exceed the maximum amounts provided by
  Subsection (a).
         SECTION 5.  Sections 54.507 and 54.521, Education Code, as
  amended by this Act, apply beginning with fees charged for the
  2019-2020 academic year. A fee charged in an academic year before
  that academic year is covered by the law in effect before the
  effective date of this Act, and the former law is continued in
  effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 6.  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, 2019.