By: Morrison (Senate Sponsor - Kolkhorst) H.B. No. 3312
         (In the Senate - Received from the House May 6, 2019;
  May 7, 2019, read first time and referred to Committee on Higher
  Education; May 19, 2019, reported adversely, with favorable
  Committee Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 9, Nays 0;
  May 19, 2019, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
  COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 3312 By:  Watson
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to authorizing a health and wellness center fee at the
  University of Houston-Victoria.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter E, Chapter 54, Education Code, is
  amended by adding Section 54.5406 to read as follows:
         Sec. 54.5406.  HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER FEE; UNIVERSITY OF
  HOUSTON-VICTORIA. (a) The board of regents of the University of
  Houston System may charge each student enrolled at the University
  of Houston-Victoria a health and wellness center fee. The fee may be
  used only for the purpose of financing, constructing, operating,
  maintaining, improving, and equipping a health and wellness center
  at the University of Houston-Victoria. A fee charged under this
  section is in addition to any use or service fee authorized to be
  charged under other law.
         (b)  The health and wellness center fee may not be charged
  unless the charging of the fee is approved by a majority vote of the
  students enrolled at the university participating in a general
  student election held for that purpose.
         (c)  The amount of a fee charged under this section may not
  exceed:
               (1)  $150 per student for each regular semester;
               (2)  $100 per student for each summer session of 10
  weeks or longer; or
               (3)  $50 per student for each summer session of less
  than 10 weeks.
         (d)  Revenue from a fee charged under this section shall be
  deposited to the credit of an account known as the University of
  Houston-Victoria Health and Wellness Center Fee Account under the
  control of the university's student fee advisory committee.
  Annually, the committee shall submit to the president of the
  university its recommendation for any change to the amount of the
  fee and a complete and itemized budget for the health and wellness
  center together with a complete report of all health and wellness
  center activities conducted during the past year and all
  expenditures made in connection with those activities. The
  president shall submit the budget to the board of regents as part of
  the university's institutional budget. The board of regents may
  make changes in the budget that the board determines are necessary.
         (e)  The board of regents may increase the amount of a fee
  charged under this section, except that a fee increase by 10 percent
  or more of the amount of the fee charged during the preceding
  academic year must be approved by a majority vote of students
  enrolled at the university participating in a general student
  election held for that purpose. The ballot proposition for an
  election under this subsection must clearly state the amount of the
  proposed fee increase and describe the reason for the proposed fee
  increase.
         (f)  The health and wellness center fee is not considered in
  determining the maximum amount of student services fees that may be
  charged under Section 54.503.
         (g)  For purposes of determining whether to waive the
  imposition of the fee as provided under Section 54.5035, a student
  is not reasonably able to use the health and wellness center for
  which a fee is imposed under this section if the student lives more
  than 50 miles outside the corporate limits of Victoria, Texas.
         SECTION 2.  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.
 
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