Georgetown lawmaker takes aim at Texas college tuition hikes
College tuition at public universities in Texas would be capped, with future increases largely limited to the rate of inflation, under a bill filed Monday by State Sen. Charles Schwertner.
Schwertner, R-Georgetown, filed Senate Bill 250 as high-ranking Republicans in the State Legislature continue to shame Texas universities for hikes that have more than doubled the average cost of tuition and fees since 2003.
That year, the Legislature ceded tuition-setting authority to universities boards of regents. Both Democrat and Republican lawmakers have tried to regain some control, but those efforts have been largely unsuccessful, including a bill that Schwertner filed in 2015 that was nearly identical to the one he filed Monday.
Between fall 2003 and fall 2015 according to data from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board the average total tuition and fees statewide has risen 119 percent, from $1,934 to $4,229 for the semester, for an undergraduate who takes 15 credit hours.
Read more: http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/georgetown-lawmaker-takes-aim-at-texas-college-tui/ntCHR/