84R11960 AAF-F
	By: West	S.B. No. 1655

	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.