By Counts                                              H.B. No. 876
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the training requirements for members of governing
    1-3  boards of state agencies.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Title 110A, Revised Statutes, is amended by
    1-6  adding Article 6252-9g to read as follows:
    1-7        Art. 6252-9g.  TRAINING AND GUIDELINES FOR MEMBERS OF STATE
    1-8  AGENCY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.  (a)  In this article:
    1-9              (1)  "Governing board" means the governing body of a
   1-10  state agency.
   1-11              (2)  "State agency" means a department, commission,
   1-12  board, office, or other agency in the executive branch of state
   1-13  government, created under the constitution or a statute, whose
   1-14  authority is statewide.
   1-15        (b)  The governor's office by rule shall establish for each
   1-16  state agency:
   1-17              (1)  a training program for members of the governing
   1-18  board, administered by the professional staff of the state agency,
   1-19  including the state agency's legal counsel, and by representatives
   1-20  from the office of the attorney general and the Texas Ethics
   1-21  Commission; and
   1-22              (2)  an advisory committee, to develop training
   1-23  guidelines, that includes representatives of those licensed by the
    2-1  state agency if the state agency engages in licensing.
    2-2        (c)  Before a member of a governing board may assume office,
    2-3  the member shall attend at least one training session administered
    2-4  as provided by Subsection (b)(1) to receive information relating
    2-5  to, as applicable:
    2-6              (1)  the enabling legislation that created the state
    2-7  agency;
    2-8              (2)  the programs the state agency operates;
    2-9              (3)  the role and function of the state agency;
   2-10              (4)  the rules and regulations of the state agency with
   2-11  an emphasis on those relating to disciplinary and investigative
   2-12  authority;
   2-13              (5)  the current budget for the state agency;
   2-14              (6)  the results of the most recent formal audit of the
   2-15  state agency;
   2-16              (7)  the requirements of the open meetings law, Chapter
   2-17  271, Acts of the  60th Legislature, Regular Session, 1967 (Article
   2-18  6252-17, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), and the open records law,
   2-19  Chapter 424, Acts of the 63rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1973
   2-20  (Article 6252-17a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes);
   2-21              (8)  the requirements of conflict of interest laws and
   2-22  other laws relating to public officials; and
   2-23              (9)  any applicable ethics policies adopted by the
   2-24  state agency or the Texas Ethics Commission.
   2-25        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
    3-1        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
    3-2  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    3-3  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    3-4  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    3-5  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is here by
    3-6  suspended.