By: West S.B. No. 1655
(Morrison)
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board fees for the
administration of certificates of authorization and certificates
of authority issued to certain postsecondary educational
institutions; authorizing fees.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 61.303, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsections (g) and (h) to read as follows:
(g) The board by rule may establish a fee to be charged by
the board to cover all or a portion of the board's costs associated
with:
(1) issuing, maintaining, or revising a certificate of
authorization or certificate of authority; and
(2) maintaining a repository for student transcripts
from closed institutions that were authorized to operate under a
certificate of authorization or certificate of authority.
(h) The amount of a fee established under Subsection (g) may
not exceed the following:
(1) $1,500 for an initial approval;
(2) $750 for an annual review;
(3) $250 for an institution name change;
(4) $250 for a degree, program, or credential-level
change;
(5) $250 for a new degree, program, or credential
level;
(6) $500 for an accrediting agency change; or
(7) $500 for an ownership or governance change.
SECTION 2. Section 61.315, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 61.315. AGENTS AND RECORDS; TRANSCRIPT REPOSITORY AND
RELATED FEES. (a) The authorized or certified institutions may be
required to furnish a list of their agents to the board, and to
maintain records of students enrolled, credits awarded, and degrees
awarded in a manner specified by the board.
(b) The board shall maintain a repository for student
transcripts from closed institutions that were authorized to
operate under a certificate of authorization or certificate of
authority using fees received by the board from institutions
operating under those certificates as part of the institutions'
initial and ongoing authorization to operate. If those fees are not
sufficient to cover the cost of maintaining the repository, the
board may discontinue its maintenance of the repository, unless
adequate state funding is provided for that maintenance. The board
may charge a fee to students requesting transcript copies
maintained in the repository, not to exceed the cost of retrieving,
reproducing, and sending the transcript copies. A closed or
closing institution shall provide its student transcript records to
the board in the format specified by the board for inclusion in the
repository.
SECTION 3. Subchapter H, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 61.4031 to read as follows:
Sec. 61.4031. CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORIZATION OR AUTHORITY
FEE. (a) The board by rule may establish a fee to be charged by the
board to cover all or a portion of the board's costs associated
with:
(1) issuing, maintaining, or revising a certificate of
authorization or certificate of authority issued under a rule
adopted under this subchapter; and
(2) maintaining a repository for student transcripts
from closed institutions that were authorized to operate under a
certificate of authorization or certificate of authority issued
under a rule adopted under this subchapter.
(b) The amount of a fee established under this section may
not exceed the following:
(1) $1,500 for an initial approval;
(2) $750 for an annual review;
(3) $250 for an institution name change;
(4) $250 for a degree, program, or credential-level
change;
(5) $250 for a new degree, program, or credential
level;
(6) $500 for an accrediting agency change; or
(7) $500 for an ownership or governance change.
SECTION 4. 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, 2015.