TEXAS SENATE PASSES BILL COAUTHORED BY SENATOR SHAPLEIGH TO CAP UNIVERSITY TUITION
May 4, 2009
"Capping tuition so more students can go to college is very important. We should do everything possible to make sure that El Paso students can get a college education."
Written by Senator Eliot Shapleigh, www.shapleigh.org
AUSTIN - Today, the Texas Senate passed legislation that would limit tuition increases at Texas universities.
SB 1443, which Senator Eliot Shapleigh (D- El Paso) signed on to as a co-author, caps the amount a university may increase tuition and fees for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 academic years to five percent or the rate of inflation as calculated by the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less.
"Capping tuition so more students can go to college is very important. We should do everything possible to make sure that El Paso students can get a college education," Senator Shapleigh said.
The bill also gives universities the authority to offer incoming students tuition plans that will lock-in rates for four years or five years for a five-year degree. For transfer students, universities would be authorized to offer tuition programs that would lock in rates for the time needed to complete their degree, based on their transferred credits.
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