By: Turner, Barrientos, Lucio S.B. No. 254
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1-1 relating to the representation of students on the governing boards
1-2 of public university systems.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 3, Education Code, is amended
1-5 by adding Chapter 63 to read as follows:
1-6 CHAPTER 63. STUDENT REPRESENTATION ON
1-7 GOVERNING BOARDS OF UNIVERSITY SYSTEMS
1-8 SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS
1-9 Sec. 63.01. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
1-10 (1) "Governing board" has the meaning assigned by
1-11 Section 61.003 of this code.
1-12 (2) "Member school" means a general academic teaching
1-13 institution or a medical and dental unit, as those terms are
1-14 defined by Section 61.003 of this code.
1-15 (3) "Program" means the student representation on
1-16 governing boards program established by this chapter.
1-17 (4) "Student government" means the representative
1-18 student organization elected by the students of a member school.
1-19 (5) "University system" has the meaning assigned by
1-20 Section 61.003 of this code.
1-21 (Sections 63.02 to 63.20 reserved for expansion
1-22 SUBCHAPTER B. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
1-23 Sec. 63.21. ADVISORY STUDENT LIAISON. (a) The governing
1-24 board of each university system shall include a nonvoting advisory
2-1 student liaison selected in accordance with this subchapter.
2-2 (b) The students of a member school of a university system
2-3 may choose to participate in the program.
2-4 Sec. 63.22. TERM. The advisory student liaison serves for a
2-5 term of one year beginning on June 1.
2-6 Sec. 63.23. MEMBER SCHOOLS WITHOUT STUDENT GOVERNMENT. At a
2-7 member school that does not have a student government, any duty
2-8 assigned by this chapter to the student government is performed by
2-9 the general student population through referendum.
2-10 Sec. 63.24. OPTIONAL PARTICIPATION. A member school may
2-11 participate in the program if the students of the member school
2-12 choose to participate through their student government.
2-13 Sec. 63.25. NOMINATION AND SELECTION OF ADVISORY STUDENT
2-14 LIAISON. (a) The student government of each member school of a
2-15 university system shall nominate a student for the position of
2-16 advisory student liaison. The student advisory council under
2-17 Subchapter D of this chapter shall nominate three members of the
2-18 group for the position of advisory student liaison for the
2-19 university system and shall send those three nominations to the
2-20 governor not later than April 1 of each year.
2-21 (b) The governor shall select the advisory student liaison
2-22 for each university system from the nominations sent to the
2-23 governor under Subsection (a) of this section and shall announce
2-24 the selections not later than May 15 of each year.
2-25 (c) The advisory student liaison may not be selected from
2-26 the same member school for two consecutive years.
2-27 Sec. 63.26. CERTIFICATE OF SELECTION. Not later than the
3-1 fifth day after the date of selection, the secretary of state shall
3-2 forward to the advisory student liaison for each university system
3-3 a certificate that notifies the student of the selection.
3-4 Sec. 63.27. EXPENSES OF ADVISORY STUDENT LIAISON. An
3-5 advisory student liaison of each university system serves without
3-6 compensation and any costs incurred by the student liaison shall be
3-7 paid by the student liaison or from revenue collected from the
3-8 student services fee of the member school at which the advisory
3-9 student liaison is enrolled.
3-10 (Sections 63.28 to 63.40 reserved for expansion
3-11 SUBCHAPTER C. POWERS AND DUTIES OF ADVISORY STUDENT LIAISON
3-12 Sec. 63.41. NONVOTING LIAISON TO GOVERNING BOARD. (a) The
3-13 advisory student liaison shall represent the interests of system
3-14 students and provide insight to the governing board as to the
3-15 perspective of system students.
3-16 (b) Except as provided by Subsection (c) of this section,
3-17 the advisory student liaison has the same rights as a governing
3-18 board member to voice opinions, to make recommendations, or
3-19 otherwise to participate in all governing board meetings.
3-20 (c) An advisory student liaison may not:
3-21 (1) vote on any matter before the governing board; or
3-22 (2) attend an executive meeting of the governing
3-23 board.
3-24 Sec. 63.42. ATTENDANCE AT GOVERNING BOARD MEETINGS. (a) An
3-25 advisory student liaison shall attend each meeting of the governing
3-26 board other than an executive meeting.
3-27 (b) Failure to attend three consecutive regular meetings of
4-1 the governing board voids the appointment of the advisory student
4-2 liaison. The student's place shall be filled by the governor from
4-3 the remaining advisory student liaison nominees, subject to the
4-4 restrictions in Subchapter B of this chapter.
4-5 (Sections 63.43 to 63.60 reserved for expansion
4-6 SUBCHAPTER D. STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL
4-7 Sec. 63.61. STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL. Each member school
4-8 shall be represented on a student advisory council by that school's
4-9 advisory student liaison nominee.
4-10 Sec. 63.62. POWERS AND DUTIES OF STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL.
4-11 (a) Each student advisory council shall meet on a schedule to be
4-12 determined by the council members to ensure that the advisory
4-13 student liaison is aware of the concerns of the students of each
4-14 member school of the university system that the advisory student
4-15 liaison represents.
4-16 (b) Each student advisory council shall meet at least once
4-17 before the first governing board meeting of each year after the
4-18 certification of and acceptance by the advisory student liaison.
4-19 Sec. 63.63. PRESIDING OFFICER OF STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL.
4-20 The advisory student liaison for a university system is the
4-21 presiding officer of the student advisory council for that
4-22 university system.
4-23 Sec. 63.64. ATTENDANCE AT STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETINGS.
4-24 (a) Each member of a student advisory council shall attend each
4-25 meeting of that council.
4-26 (b) Failure to attend three consecutive regular meetings of
4-27 the student advisory council voids the membership of the absent
5-1 member, and the place shall be filled by nomination of the member
5-2 school, as provided by Section 63.25(a) of this code. If the
5-3 absent member is also the advisory student liaison, the member's
5-4 position as advisory student liaison is also forfeited and shall be
5-5 filled by the governor from the remaining advisory student liaison
5-6 nominees, subject to the restrictions in Subchapter B of this
5-7 chapter.
5-8 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the
5-9 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
5-10 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
5-11 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
5-12 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
5-13 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
5-14 passage, and it is so enacted.