Sec. 54.550. WELLNESS, RECREATIONAL, AND FITNESS COMPLEX FEE; THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT BROWNSVILLE. (a) The board of regents of The University of Texas System may charge each student enrolled at The University of Texas at Brownsville a wellness, recreational, and fitness complex fee. The amount of the fee may not exceed $79 per student for each regular semester and $39.50 per student for each term of the summer session.

(b) The board may:

(1) use revenue from the fee only to finance, construct, operate, maintain, renovate, or improve a wellness, recreational, and fitness complex owned by Texas Southmost College and used by the partnership of The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College under Section 78.02; and

(2) pledge revenue from the fee to pay an obligation issued for a purpose authorized by Subdivision (1) under the revenue financing system of The University of Texas System.

(c) The board shall deposit revenue from the fee to the credit of an account known as The University of Texas at Brownsville wellness, recreational, and fitness complex fee account. Money in the account shall be used in accordance with the terms of the partnership agreements entered into between The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College under Section 78.02.

(d) The board may not increase the amount of the fee by more than 10 percent in any academic year unless the amount of the increase is approved by:

(1) a majority vote of the students participating in a general student election held at the institution for that purpose; and

(2) a majority of the members of the legislative body of the student government of the institution.

(e) A fee charged under this section is in addition to any other fee the board is authorized by law to charge.

(f) Subject to the limitations of this section on the amount of the fee and any increase in the amount of the fee, the fee charged under this section must be in the same amount as the wellness, recreational, and fitness complex fee charged a student at Texas Southmost College by the board of trustees of Southmost Union Junior College District. A student attending either or both institutions may be charged a wellness, recreational, and fitness complex fee by only one of the institutions.

(g) The board of trustees of the Southmost Union Junior College District may pledge revenue from a fee imposed under this section, whether received directly from a student or from The University of Texas at Brownsville, under terms of the partnership agreement between The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, for the payment of obligations issued by the Southmost Union Junior College District to finance the construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and improvement of a wellness, recreational, and fitness complex owned by Texas Southmost College and used by the two institutions under the partnership. If the fee imposed under this section is pledged to the payment of obligations issued by Southmost Union Junior College District, the board of regents of The University of Texas System may not pledge revenue from the fee for the payment of obligations issued for an authorized purpose under the revenue financing system of The University of Texas System.

Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 1223 (H.B. 1063), Sec. 1, eff. June 18, 2005.