San Francisco — A California lawmaker is proposing to prohibit raises for executives at the state’s public colleges and universities in years that they raise tuition.

The bill, announced yesterday, would apply to the University of California, California State University, and the state’s community-college system. It would cap executive compensation for presidents, chancellors, vice chancellors, and general counsels at the three systems if they chose to raise mandatory student fees during the same fiscal year.

The bill’s author, State Sen. Leland Yee, a Democrat, has been one of the most persistent critics of the University of California during the past few years as it has weathered a series of compensation scandals. Mr. Yee said in an interview that the bill aims to stop “outrageous” salary and benefits packages for campus executives.

“This is a different time, and you can’t just simply go to the consumers and the general public and keep raising your prices to enrich yourself,” Mr. Yee said. “That’s the same message I’m trying to send to UC: These are tough economic times, and you should not look to student fees and tuition as a cash cow for your largess.”

The bill could essentially freeze executive pay at the University of California and California State University, considering that both systems have typically raised fees during the past several years. Mr. Yee said that he would not expect his bill to actually stop tuition increases, but that it would make college and university officials think twice about raising their prices.

Officials at the two university systems said they were still reviewing the legislation and had no comment. In the past, the University of California has argued that it is legally exempt from similar caps proposed by the Legislature. Mr. Yee said the university was ultimately responsible to the Legislature.

“If they continue to turn a blind eye to the wishes of the Legislature, they do it at their own risk and their own peril,” Mr. Yee said. —Josh Keller