STATE SENATOR FILES TUITION PROPOSAL

  

A state senator whose district includes part of the Brazos Valley, is continuing his call for changes to Texas college tuition.

Republican Sen. Charles Schwertner of Georgetown, who represents a large portion of the Brazos Valley, filed a bill Tuesday that would cap tuition and fees at Texas' public universities at their current rates.

If the bill were to become law, any future tuition and fee increases would follow the current inflation rate unless otherwise approved by lawmakers.

Schwertner says 2003 legislation allowing universities to change tuition without state approval led to skyrocketing tuition rates and priced some people out of higher education.

Schwertner made a similar proposal in the last legislative session. He got pushback from education leaders, including Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp.

Sharp said A&M and most of the other public universities have seen tuition go up at slower rates than before 2003.