Monitoring the Session

HB 2853

UTEP student union fee cap goes from $30 to $150

Became law, effective Sep 1, 2025

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Vincent PerezDHouse 77

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to student union building fees at The University of Texas at El Paso.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Shorter terms go from $15 to $75. New student union incoming.

The bill raises the cap on the student union fee at The University of Texas at El Paso from $30 to $150 per long semester, and from $15 to $75 for shorter terms, to pay for a new student union, including tearing down the old building. It touches UTEP students who pay the fee and the UT System regents who set it. The higher caps phase in: $70 before fall 2026, $120 in 2026-2027, then $150, and the regents can raise the fee by less than 10 percent a year without a student vote.

Labels

Labels: NO AUTOGRAPH. Became law without the governor's signature on Jun 22, 2025.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB2853 · 2025-02-14

SOLD BY

Rep. Vincent PerezDHouse 77 Rep. Joe MoodyDHouse 78 Rep. Eddie MoralesDHouse 74

+ 1 more author

ITEM

relating to student union building fees at The University of Texas at El Paso.

WHAT IT DOES

Shorter terms go from $15 to $75. New student union incoming.

The bill raises the cap on the student union fee at The University of Texas at El Paso from $30 to $150 per long semester, and from $15 to $75 for shorter terms, to pay for a new student union, including tearing down the old building. It touches UTEP students who pay the fee and the UT System regents who set it. The higher caps phase in: $70 before fall 2026, $120 in 2026-2027, then $150, and the regents can raise the fee by less than 10 percent a year without a student vote.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version F · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version F · May 28, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Filed
  2. Read first time
  3. Referred to Higher Education
  4. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  5. Considered in public hearing
  6. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  7. Left pending in committee
  8. Considered in public hearing
  9. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  10. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  11. Committee report distributed
  12. Committee report sent to Calendars
  13. Considered in Calendars
  14. Placed on General State Calendar
  15. Read 2nd time
  16. Passed to engrossment
  17. Record vote RV#1084
  18. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  19. Read 3rd time
  20. Passed
  21. Record vote RV#1125
  22. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  23. Reported engrossed
  24. Received from the House
  25. Read first time
  26. Referred to Education K-16
  27. Posting rule suspended
  28. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  29. Considered in public hearing
  30. Testimony taken in committee
  31. Left pending in committee
  32. Considered in public hearing
  33. Vote taken in committee
  34. Reported favorably as substituted
  35. Committee report printed and distributed
  36. Placed on intent calendar
  37. Rules suspended-Regular order of business
  38. Record vote
  39. Read 2nd time & passed to 3rd reading
  40. Record vote
  41. Three day rule suspended
  42. Record vote
  43. Read 3rd time
  44. Passed
  45. Record vote
  46. Senate passage as amended reported
  47. Senate Amendments distributed
  48. Senate Amendments Analysis distributed
  49. House concurs in Senate amendment(s)
  50. Record vote RV#4037
  51. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  52. Text of Senate Amendment(s)
  53. House concurs in Senate amendment(s)-reported
  54. Reported enrolled
  55. Signed in the House
  56. Signed in the Senate
  57. Sent to the Governor
  58. Filed without the Governor's signature
  59. Effective on 9/1/25
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 80 yea · 53 nay

Senate · 27 yea · 4 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 1, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate: Final passage · May 27, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Vincent Perez

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$23KTexas Sands PAC$12KStanley P. Jobe$10,000

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Jul 31, 2024 to Oct 21, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$22,500.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$22,500.00

Cash
$22,500.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$22,500.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Aug 13, 2024 to Jun 23, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100987465, 101009976.

Texas Sands PAC$12,000.00

Texas Sands PAC

$12,000.00

Cash
$12,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$12,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 1, 2024 to Oct 13, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100987465, 101070087, 101072089.

Stanley P. Jobe$10,000.00
Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$22,500.00

Cash
$22,500.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$22,500.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Aug 13, 2024 to Jun 23, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100987465, 101009976.

×

Texas Sands PAC

$12,000.00

Cash
$12,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$12,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 1, 2024 to Oct 13, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100987465, 101070087, 101072089.

Votes7

House May 29, 2025

Yea
105
Nay
34
Present, not voting
1
Absent
4
Excused
6
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 4037

Representative V. Perez moved to concur in the senate amendments to HB 2853. The motion to concur in the senate amendments to HB 2853 prevailed by (Record 4037): 105 Yeas, 34 Nays, 1 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 105 (published)
  • Nay: 34 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 1 (published)
  • Absent: 4 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 6 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 27, 2025

Yea
27
Nay
4
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 27, Nays 4. (Same as previous roll call)

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 27 (published)
  • Nay: 4 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 27, 2025

Yea
27
Nay
4
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

Senator Blanco moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSHB 2853 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 27, Nays 4.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 27 (published)
  • Nay: 4 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 27, 2025

Yea
27
Nay
4
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

The bill was read second time and was passed to third reading by the following vote: Yeas 27, Nays 4. (Same as previous roll call)

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 27 (published)
  • Nay: 4 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 27, 2025

Yea
27
Nay
4
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Sources

Senator Blanco moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration CSHB 2853 at this time on its second reading: CSHB 2853, Relating to student union building fees at The University of Texas at El Paso. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 27, Nays 4.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 27 (published)
  • Nay: 4 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

House May 1, 2025

Yea
80
Nay
53
Present, not voting
1
Absent
3
Excused
13
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 1125

HB 2853 was passed by (Record 1125): 80 Yeas, 53 Nays, 1 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 80 (published)
  • Nay: 53 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 1 (published)
  • Absent: 3 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 13 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

House Apr 30, 2025

Yea
90
Nay
51
Present, not voting
2
Absent
3
Excused
4
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 1084

HB 2853 was passed to engrossment by (Record 1084): 90 Yeas, 51 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 90 (published)
  • Nay: 51 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 3 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 4 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses6
For
2
Against
1
On
3
Names

For

  • DFER TX1 registration
  • University of Texas at El Paso Student Government Association1 registration

Against

  • Self1 registration

On

  • The University of Texas at El Paso2 registrations
  • UT System1 registration
Sources

6 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

House witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Senate witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version F · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version F · May 28, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Feb 14, 2025

06/22/2025 E Effective on 9/1/25

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report · Engrossed · Senate Committee Report · Enrolled

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 6:51 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Sponsors
César BlancoDSenate 29

House committee · Higher Education · Committee vote 10 aye, 1 nay · Out of committee

Senate committee · Education K-16 · Committee vote 8 aye, 1 nay, 2 absent · Out of committee

Companion

SB 1016 by Blanco (identical)

Subjects

Education--Higher--Institutions & Programs

Education--Higher--Student Fees

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO

Text

The text as introduced · 441 words

89R4918 JTZ-F

By: Perez of El Paso
H.B. No. 2853

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to student union building fees at The University of Texas

at El Paso.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 54.535, Education Code, is amended by

amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (a-1), (a-2), and

(a-3) to read as follows:

(a) The board of regents of The University of Texas System

may levy a student union fee in an amount not to exceed $150 [ $30 ]

per student for each semester or term of 10 [ regular semester or

each summer session of six ] weeks or more, and not to exceed $75

[ $15 ] per student for any other semester or term [ each summer

session of less than six weeks ], 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, [ above $15 per student for each regular

semester or each summer session of six weeks or more and $7.50 per

student for each summer session of less than six weeks ] unless the

increase is approved by a majority vote of [ those ] students

enrolled at the university participating in a general student

election held for that purpose . The fees herein authorized to be

levied are in addition to any use or service fee now or hereafter

authorized to be levied.

(a-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), for a semester or

term before the 2026 fall semester, the amount of a fee levied under

this section may not exceed:

(1) $70 per student for a semester or term of 10 weeks

or more; or

(2) $35 per student for a semester or term not

described by Subdivision (1).

(a-2) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), for a semester or

term of the 2026-2027 academic year, the amount of a fee levied

under this section may not exceed:

(1) $120 per student for a semester or term of 10 weeks

or more; or

(2) $60 per student for a semester or term not

described by Subdivision (1).

(a-3) Subsections (a-1) and (a-2) and this subsection

expire September 1, 2027.

SECTION 2. Section 54.535, Education Code, as amended by

this Act, applies beginning with student union fees collected for

the 2026 spring semester.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.