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82

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Legislative Session Dates of Interest

November 8

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Pre-filing of legislation for the 82 nd Legislature began 

January 11

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82 nd Legislative Session convenes 

March 11

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Deadline for filing bills 

May 30

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Last day of 82 nd Regular Session with corrections only in house and senate 

June 19

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Last day governor can sign or veto bills passed during the regular legislative session 

August 29

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(91 st day following final adjournment) Date that bills without specific effective dates (that could not be effective immediately) become law http://www.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx

2/2/2011

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82

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Legislative Session Bills to Watch and Potential Impacts (1 of 3)

Tuition & Fees HB 459 (White) – Freezes designated tuition at current rate (Fall 2010) through August 2013. Would cripple our ability to use designated tuition to cover the pending budget reductions. Fiscal impact could be as high as a loss of $80.2 M over the next 5 years. SB 164 (Shapiro) - Relates to fixed academic cost option being made available. Resident undergraduate students may elect to have tuition and mandatory fees fixed contingent upon continuous enrollment for duration of standard completion period for degree program. Does not apply to 1st time students who entered before Fall 2011. Will have an impact for FY 2012 and beyond if we are unable to raise our tuition rates similar to what UT Dallas did.

SB 32 (Zaffirini) – Provides new exemptions of student service fees granted to Veterans and other Military personnel and dependents as defined per Hazelwood Exemption.

Tuition & Fees Tuition Waivers & Exemptions SB 298 (Wentworth) – Eliminates the 15% designated tuition set aside requirement from tuition charged to a resident undergraduate student in excess of $46 per SCH. Tuition Set Aside HB 464 (Kleinschmidt) – Disallows a person not authorized by law to be present in the US to not be considered a Texas resident; therefore, non-resident tuition rates would apply.

SB28 (Zaffirini) –Amends the allocation and distribution of funds for TEXAS grants.

SB 272 (Zaffirini) – Will fund 74 “critically needed” building projects at 53 institutions of higher learning across the state totalling $3.2 billion. UTSA would receive TRB debt to build

a $92.7 million Instructional Science laboratory and classroom building.

Resident Status TEXAS Grants TRB HB 86 (Simpson); HB 750 (Driver); HB 354 (Wentworth) - Would permit concealed handgun license holders to legally carry weapons on college campuses. Handguns 2/2/2011

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82

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Legislative Session Bills to Watch and Potential Impacts (2 of 3)

SB 176 (Huffman) – Relates to student eligibility for tuition rebates and would amend to exclude course credit other than course credit earned exclusively by examination for credit earned before graduating from high school. Tuition Rebate HB 136 (Shelton) - Would loosen drop limitations for college students. Current 6-drop cap would be eliminated leaving individual schools to develop their own drop policy. HB 470 (Anderson) - Would outlaw Salvia divinorum and its derivatives and extracts, adding it to Penalty Group 3 of the Texas Controlled Substances Act.

Course Drop Limit Student Restriction HB 537 (Brown) - Would require institutions of higher learning to make available to students a list of required reading materials at the same time the university-affiliated bookstore is notified. UTSA already follows this practice. SB 74 (Nelson) – Allows for the donation of data processing equipment that is surplus or salvage property to a public or private hospital located in a rural county. HB 808 (Lozano) – Relates to the identification of courses included in the common course numbering system to be offered and the transferability of those courses.

HB 399 (Castro) – Relates to requiring general academic teaching institutions to offer personal financial literacy training.

SB 36 (Zaffirini) – Relates to methods for increasing student success and degree completion and would establish method for assessing the quality and effectiveness of academic advising services available to students to include the use of student surveys and identify objective, quantifiable measure.

Bookstore Equipment Donation Common Course Numbering Personal Finance Training Course Academic Advising Assessment 2/2/2011

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82

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Legislative Session Bills to Watch and Potential Impacts (3 of 3)

SB 29 (Zaffirini) – Would add participation eligibility in the group benefits program for students with a post doctoral fellowship or graduate fellowship (on a competitive basis) valued at $10,000 or greater. Student/ Group Benefits HB 381 (Brown) - Would allow for contracting with health benefit plan issuers to cover health care services provided by the student health centers. The governing board of the institution may require the student health center to assist student by filing or having a claim filed with the benefit plan issuer on the student’s behalf.

Health Center Health Benefit Coordination HB 375 (Alonzo) – Relates to establishing veterans resource centers at certain institutions of higher education. The commission shall operate 15 veterans resource centers throughout the state entering into a memorandum of understanding. The MOU will require the institution to provide and bear the cost of space, office, telephone and computer equipment. HB 104 (Brown) - Would eliminate the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Its duties would be merged with Texas Education Agency in an effort to cut costs to the state.

Veteran Resource Center Reporting / Merger  HB 736 (Patrick) – Relates to on-line institution resumes for higher education adding information to ENROLLMENT section; COST section; FUNDING section and FINANCIAL AID section “including” reporting of in-state and out of state peer institutions.

Enrollment: % of UG student enrolled for first time who are transfer students Cost: % of students receiving loans, avg. annual amount of student loan by student, % of students

receiving federal or state grants, avg. annual amt. of federal /state grants received by students, etc.

Funding: Operating budget as % total appropriated by legislature, amount of federal funds from all

federal sources, TAC charged to students and corresponding % of institutions operating budget, etc.

Financial Aid: % of UG students enrolled receiving student loans, avg. amount of UG student loan;

retention rate of 1 st time full time UG students enrolled, etc.

Institutional Resume Reporting 2/2/2011