The board of regents may levy a student union fee for UT El Paso, but the fee is limited to the student union building purpose and generally cannot be increased by 10% or more over the prior year’s fee unless students approve it in a general election.
Sec. 54.535. STUDENT UNION FEE; THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO. (a) The board of regents of The University of Texas System may levy a student union fee for the sole purpose of financing, constructing, operating, maintaining, and improving a student union building for The University of Texas at El Paso, including demolition of the existing student union building; provided, however, that the fee may not be increased to an amount that exceeds by at least 10 percent the amount of the fee levied during the preceding academic year, unless the increase is approved by a majority vote of students enrolled at the university participating in a general student election held for that purpose. A fee imposed under this section is in addition to any other fee the board is authorized by law to impose. (b) Such fees shall be deposited to an account known as The University of Texas at El Paso student union fee account and shall be placed under the control of and subject to the order of the Student Union Advisory Committee. The committee shall annually submit to the president of The University of Texas at El Paso a complete and itemized budget to be accompanied by a full and complete report of all activities conducted during the past year and all expenditures made incident thereto. The president shall submit the budget to the board of regents as part of the institutional budget. The board of regents shall make such changes in the budget as it deems necessary before approving the budget, and shall then levy the fees, within the limits herein fixed, in such amounts as will be sufficient to meet the budgetary needs of the student union building. Added by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 346, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 31, 1987. Renumbered from Education Code Sec. 69.03 and amended by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 910, Sec. 5. Amended by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 288, Sec. 2, eff. May 29, 1999. Amended by: Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1166 (H.B. 2853), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2025.