| 1 | 1 | | 81R39051 KSD-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Branch H.C.R. No. 288 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Tuition and fees at the state's public four-year |
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| 7 | 7 | | universities have increased materially in recent years; and |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Texas families, already struggling to meet the costs |
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| 9 | 9 | | of higher education, now see college slipping further from their |
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| 10 | 10 | | reach as the global recession takes a toll on state and local |
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| 11 | 11 | | economies; and |
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| 12 | 12 | | WHEREAS, A college education is directly linked to one's |
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| 13 | 13 | | future employment opportunities; people with a college education |
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| 14 | 14 | | earn larger salaries and see greater financial benefits over their |
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| 15 | 15 | | lifetimes, in turn contributing significantly to the state's |
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| 16 | 16 | | economic base; unpredictable tuition hikes, however, make it much |
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| 17 | 17 | | more difficult for young people to plan for their education, and as |
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| 18 | 18 | | a result, many will delay college or skip it altogether, while those |
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| 19 | 19 | | who enroll will carry larger debt loads than ever; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | WHEREAS, The current economic crisis is limiting students' |
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| 21 | 21 | | access to additional funds from loans, family assistance, and |
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| 22 | 22 | | part-time jobs, but the continuing vitality of Texas depends on an |
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| 23 | 23 | | educated population and workforce; temporarily limiting tuition |
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| 24 | 24 | | and student fees at our state universities will help ensure that |
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| 25 | 25 | | students are able to obtain a college education, thereby |
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| 26 | 26 | | contributing to a diverse and robust economy throughout the state, |
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| 27 | 27 | | both now and in the future; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | WHEREAS, The importance of higher education to the economic |
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| 29 | 29 | | and cultural vitality of this state dictates that any limitation on |
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| 30 | 30 | | increases in tuition and student fees be implemented in a manner |
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| 31 | 31 | | that does not unduly restrict the quality and excellence of the |
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| 32 | 32 | | state's universities; now, therefore, be it |
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| 33 | 33 | | RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 34 | 34 | | hereby direct the governing board of each general academic teaching |
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| 35 | 35 | | institution to make every effort to ensure that the total academic |
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| 36 | 36 | | costs, including tuition, mandatory academic fees, and any other |
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| 37 | 37 | | academic-related general fees and college course fees, charged to a |
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| 38 | 38 | | resident undergraduate student for the 2010-2011, 2011-2012, or |
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| 39 | 39 | | 2012-2013 academic year do not exceed the total academic costs that |
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| 40 | 40 | | the institution would have charged such a student enrolled in the |
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| 41 | 41 | | same courses in the preceding academic year by more than the greater |
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| 42 | 42 | | of 3.95 percent or $280; and, be it further |
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| 43 | 43 | | RESOLVED, That the legislature hereby direct those governing |
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| 44 | 44 | | boards to make every effort to ensure that the total academic costs |
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| 45 | 45 | | charged to a resident undergraduate student for the 2013-2014 |
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| 46 | 46 | | academic year do not exceed the total academic costs the |
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| 47 | 47 | | institution would have charged such a student enrolled in the same |
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| 48 | 48 | | courses in the 2012-2013 academic year by more than the greater of: |
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| 49 | 49 | | (1) 3.95 percent; or |
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| 50 | 50 | | (2) the average of the following: |
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| 51 | 51 | | (A) the average percentage increase, if any, in |
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| 52 | 52 | | the consumer price index for each of the three preceding calendar |
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| 53 | 53 | | years as compared to the consumer price index for the year preceding |
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| 54 | 54 | | each of those years; and |
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| 55 | 55 | | (B) the average percentage increase, if any, in |
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| 56 | 56 | | an appropriate higher education price index for each of the three |
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| 57 | 57 | | preceding calendar years as compared to that higher education price |
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| 58 | 58 | | index for the year preceding each of those years; and, be it further |
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| 59 | 59 | | RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official |
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| 60 | 60 | | copy of this resolution to the commissioner of higher education and |
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| 61 | 61 | | to the presidents and members of the boards of regents of general |
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| 62 | 62 | | academic teaching institutions throughout Texas. |
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