| 1 | 1 | | 81R10401 KSD-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Villarreal H.B. No. 3939 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to limitations on the total amount of tuition and |
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| 8 | 8 | | mandatory academic fees charged to resident undergraduate students |
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| 9 | 9 | | at general academic teaching institutions. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 54, Education Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 54.017 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 54.017. LIMITATION ON TUITION AND FEES CHARGED TO |
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| 14 | 14 | | RESIDENT UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT GENERAL ACADEMIC TEACHING |
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| 15 | 15 | | INSTITUTIONS. (a) In this section: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) "Academic year" includes the summer session that |
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| 17 | 17 | | follows the spring semester of an academic year. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) "General academic teaching institution" has the |
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| 19 | 19 | | meaning assigned by Section 61.003. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (3) "Tuition" includes: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (A) tuition for which the rates are prescribed by |
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| 22 | 22 | | this chapter; and |
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| 23 | 23 | | (B) tuition charged by a general academic |
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| 24 | 24 | | teaching institution under Section 54.0513 or another law |
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| 25 | 25 | | authorizing an institution to establish tuition rates. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, |
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| 27 | 27 | | the total amount of tuition and mandatory academic fees charged by a |
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| 28 | 28 | | general academic teaching institution to a resident undergraduate |
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| 29 | 29 | | student for an academic year, excluding any amount for which the |
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| 30 | 30 | | student received financial aid other than student loans, may not |
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| 31 | 31 | | exceed an amount equal to eight percent of the student's household |
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| 32 | 32 | | adjusted gross income for the most recent federal tax year that |
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| 33 | 33 | | ended before the start of that academic year. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (c) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall |
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| 35 | 35 | | adopt rules for the administration of this section, including rules |
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| 36 | 36 | | prescribing the procedure by which an institution may request |
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| 37 | 37 | | necessary income information from a student. |
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| 38 | 38 | | SECTION 2. Section 54.017, Education Code, as added by this |
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| 39 | 39 | | Act, applies beginning with tuition charged by public institutions |
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| 40 | 40 | | of higher education for the 2010-2011 academic year. Tuition |
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| 41 | 41 | | charged by an institution of higher education in an academic year |
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| 42 | 42 | | before that academic year is covered by the law in effect before the |
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| 43 | 43 | | effective date of this Act, and the former law is continued in |
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| 44 | 44 | | effect for that purpose. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 3. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
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| 46 | 46 | | shall adopt the rules required by Section 54.017, Education Code, |
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| 47 | 47 | | as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after the effective |
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| 48 | 48 | | date of this Act. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 50 | 50 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 51 | 51 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 52 | 52 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 53 | 53 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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