By: Greenberg H.B. No. 94
72R3279 CMB-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the representation of college and university students
1-3 on the governing boards of their university systems.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 3, Education Code, is amended
1-6 by adding Chapter 63 to read as follows:
1-7 CHAPTER 63. STUDENT REPRESENTATION ON
1-8 GOVERNING BOARDS
1-9 SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS
1-10 Sec. 63.01. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
1-11 (1) "Member school" means any general academic
1-12 teaching institution as defined in Section 61.003(3) of this code.
1-13 (2) "University system" has the meaning assigned by
1-14 Section 61.003(10) of this code.
1-15 (3) "Governing board" or "board" has the meaning
1-16 assigned by Section 61.003(9) of this code.
1-17 (Sections 63.02-63.10 reserved for expansion
1-18 SUBCHAPTER B. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
1-19 Sec. 63.11. STUDENT REGENTS. (a) If the students of any
1-20 member school choose to participate in the program set forth in
1-21 this chapter, the governing board of each university system shall
1-22 include two student regents, selected as set forth in this
1-23 subchapter. The student regents serve in addition to the other
1-24 nine members of the board.
2-1 (b) One student regent shall be a voting member of the
2-2 governing board and the other student member shall be a nonvoting
2-3 member of the governing board.
2-4 Sec. 63.12. QUALIFICATIONS; TERMS. (a) A student regent
2-5 must be a qualified voter. A student regent serves for a term of
2-6 two years, beginning on September 1 of an odd-numbered year.
2-7 (b) A student regent serves as a nonvoting member of the
2-8 governing board during the first year of his or her term and as a
2-9 voting member during the second year of the term.
2-10 Sec. 63.13. SCHOOLS LACKING STUDENT GOVERNMENT. At member
2-11 schools lacking student government, any duty assigned by this
2-12 chapter to the student government shall be performed by the general
2-13 student population through referendum.
2-14 Sec. 63.14. OPTIONAL PARTICIPATION. No member school shall
2-15 participate in the program set forth in this chapter unless the
2-16 students of the member school choose to participate through their
2-17 student government. A member school may remove itself from program
2-18 participation.
2-19 Sec. 63.15. NOMINATION AND SELECTION IN MULTISCHOOL SYSTEMS.
2-20 (a) Each year the student government of each member school of a
2-21 university system consisting of more than one member school shall
2-22 nominate a student for the position of student regent. The
2-23 nomination shall be forwarded to the governor no later than June 1.
2-24 (b) The student regent for each university system consisting
2-25 of more than one member school shall be selected by the governor
2-26 from a list composed of the nominations of each member school. The
2-27 selection shall be announced by the governor no later than August 1
3-1 of each year.
3-2 (c) The university system's student regent may not be
3-3 selected from the same member school for two consecutive years.
3-4 Sec. 63.16. NOMINATION AND SELECTION IN SINGLE-SCHOOL
3-5 SYSTEMS. (a) Each year the student government of a member school
3-6 in a university system consisting of only one member school shall
3-7 nominate three students for the position of student regent. The
3-8 nominations shall be forwarded to the governor no later than June
3-9 1.
3-10 (b) The student regent for each single-school university
3-11 system shall be selected by the governor from a list composed of
3-12 the nominations of the member school. The selection shall be
3-13 announced by the governor no later than August 1 of each year.
3-14 Sec. 63.17. CERTIFICATE OF APPOINTMENT. The secretary of
3-15 state shall forward a certificate to the student regent for each
3-16 university system within 10 days after the appointment, notifying
3-17 the student of the fact of the appointment. If any person so
3-18 appointed and notified fails for 10 days to give notice to the
3-19 governor of acceptance, the appointment shall be deemed void and
3-20 the place filled from the remaining students on the nomination
3-21 list.
3-22 Sec. 63.18. EXPENSES OF STUDENT REGENTS. The student
3-23 regents of each university system serve without compensation but
3-24 are entitled to reimbursement for actual expenses incurred in
3-25 attending board meetings and in transacting the official business
3-26 of the board.
3-27 (Sections 63.19-63.20 reserved for expansion
4-1 SUBCHAPTER C. POWERS AND DUTIES OF STUDENT REGENTS
4-2 Sec. 63.21. LIAISON TO THE BOARD. (a) The student regents
4-3 shall represent the interests of system students and provide
4-4 insight to the board as to the perspective of system students.
4-5 (b) A student regent has the same rights as any board member
4-6 to voice opinions, to make recommendations, or otherwise to
4-7 participate in all board meetings, except that a student regent is
4-8 not entitled to vote on any matter before the board during his or
4-9 her first year of service on the board. A student regent may not
4-10 be excluded from any meeting of the board and shall observe the
4-11 same level of confidentiality as is expected of board members.
4-12 Sec. 63.22. ATTENDANCE AT BOARD MEETINGS. A student regent
4-13 shall attend each meeting of the governing board. Failure to
4-14 attend two consecutive board meetings voids the appointment of the
4-15 student regent. Such student's place shall be filled from the
4-16 remaining roundtable members. The student chosen to fill the
4-17 vacancy has the same powers as the student regent replaced.
4-18 (Sections 63.23-63.30 reserved for expansion
4-19 SUBCHAPTER D. SYSTEM ROUNDTABLE
4-20 Sec. 63.31. SYSTEM ROUNDTABLE. Each member school of a
4-21 university system consisting of more than one member school shall
4-22 be represented on a system roundtable by that school's student
4-23 regent nominees.
4-24 Sec. 63.32. POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE ROUNDTABLE. The system
4-25 roundtable shall meet on a schedule to be determined by the
4-26 roundtable members in order to ensure that the student regents are
4-27 aware of the concerns of the students of each member school. The
5-1 roundtable shall meet at least once prior to the first governing
5-2 board meeting of each year following the certification of and
5-3 acceptance by a new student regent.
5-4 Sec. 63.33. CHAIRMAN OF THE SYSTEM ROUNDTABLE. The system
5-5 roundtable for each university system shall be chaired by the
5-6 voting student regent for that university system.
5-7 Sec. 63.34. ATTENDANCE AT SYSTEM ROUNDTABLE MEETINGS. Each
5-8 roundtable member shall attend each meeting of the roundtable.
5-9 Failure to attend two consecutive roundtable meetings voids the
5-10 membership of the absent member, and the place shall be filled by
5-11 nomination of the member school, as set forth in Section 63.15(a)
5-12 of this code. Should the absent member also be a student regent,
5-13 the member's position as student regent is also forfeited and shall
5-14 be filled from the remaining roundtable members, subject to the
5-15 restrictions set forth in Subchapter B of this chapter.
5-16 SECTION 2. (a) Not later than June 1 in 1992 and 1993, each
5-17 participating student government of each general academic teaching
5-18 institution, as defined in Section 61.003(3), Education Code, shall
5-19 submit to the governor a list of student regent nominees in the
5-20 manner prescribed in Chapter 63, Education Code, as added by this
5-21 Act.
5-22 (b) Not later than August 1 in 1992 and 1993, the governor
5-23 shall appoint one student regent to the governing board of each
5-24 general academic teaching institution in which the student
5-25 government has submitted nominations for student regent.
5-26 (c) Before September 1, 1993, the governing board of each
5-27 general academic teaching institution shall include one nonvoting
6-1 student regent, and on or after September 1, 1993, the governing
6-2 board of such institutions shall include one nonvoting student
6-3 regent and one voting student regent, appointed in the manner
6-4 prescribed in Chapter 63, Education Code, as added by this Act.
6-5 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect when the constitutional
6-6 amendment proposed by the 72nd Legislature, providing for the
6-7 appointment of student regents to the governing boards of
6-8 institutions of higher education, is approved by the voters. If
6-9 that proposed constitutional amendment is not approved by the
6-10 voters, this Act has no effect.
6-11 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
6-12 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
6-13 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
6-14 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
6-15 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
6-16 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
6-17 passage, and it is so enacted.