Honorable Brandon Creighton, Chair, Senate Committee on Higher Education
FROM:
John McGeady, Assistant Director Sarah Keyton, Assistant Director Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB2231 by Watson (relating to the exemption of tuition and laboratory fees at public institutions of higher education for certain paramedics.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Education Code relating to the exemption of tuition and laboratory fees at public institutions of higher education for certain paramedics. The bill would expand the existing exemption requirement from tuition and fees for a firefighter taking courses in fire sciences to include paramedics. Under provisions of the bill, the governing board of an institution of higher education, in accordance with Higher Education Coordinating Board rule, may exclude from the exemption a course that was offered through distance learning.
The bill would primarily impact designated tuition and fees, which are classified as institutional funds, and therefore would not impact the state. The bill would also impact laboratory fees, student teaching fees, and special course fees, that are accounted as educational and general income, or statutory tuition in the General Appropriations Act. Higher Education System Offices reported that the impact in foregone revenues from expanding this exemption would not be significant.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
768 Texas Tech University System Administration, 781 Higher Education Coordinating Board, 710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 720 The University of Texas System Administration, 758 Texas State University System, 769 University of North Texas System Administration, 783 University of Houston System Administration