HBA-JEK, BSM S.B. 1498 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1498 By: Harris Higher Education 8/8/2001 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Department of Recreational Sports at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) serves as the primary campus provider of recreational and leisure programs for students. Prior to the 77th Legislature, UTA utilized a portion of the current student services fee to support the recreational sports program at UTA instead of charging a recreational facility fee. The upgrading of recreational facilities and programs on campus is a key element in UTA's mission of providing a comprehensive set of recreational, leisure, and cultural opportunities for the university community. Senate Bill 1498 authorizes the board of regents of The University of Texas System to impose a recreational facility fee on all students at UTA. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS Senate Bill 1498 amends the Education Code to authorize the board of regents of The University of Texas System (board) to charge a recreational facility fee on each student enrolled at The University of Texas at Arlington to finance, construct, renovate, improve, equip, or maintain recreational facilities or operate recreational programs. The fee may only be imposed if approved by a majority vote of students participating in a general election held at the university for that purpose. The bill sets forth the fee amounts and limits. S.B. 1498 prohibits the board from increasing the fee by more than 10 percent in any academic year unless the amount of the increase is approved by the university's students in a general election held at the university for that purpose. EFFECTIVE DATE May 18, 2001.