By: Turner S.B. No. 254
73R3429 SOS-F
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the representation of students on the governing boards
1-3 of their public 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) "Governing board" has the meaning assigned by
1-12 Section 61.003 of this code.
1-13 (2) "Member school" means a general academic teaching
1-14 institution as 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) "University system" has the meaning assigned by
1-18 Section 61.003 of this code.
1-19 (Sections 63.02-63.20 reserved for expansion
1-20 SUBCHAPTER B. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
1-21 Sec. 63.21. ADVISORY STUDENT REGENT. If the students of a
1-22 member school choose to participate in the program, the governing
1-23 board of each university system shall include a nonvoting advisory
1-24 student regent, selected in accordance with this subchapter.
2-1 Sec. 63.22. QUALIFICATIONS; TERMS. The advisory student
2-2 regent nominee must be a qualified voter. The advisory student
2-3 regent serves for a term of one year, beginning on September 1.
2-4 Sec. 63.23. SCHOOLS WITHOUT STUDENT GOVERNMENT. At a member
2-5 school that does not have a student government, any duty assigned
2-6 by this chapter to the student government is performed by the
2-7 general student population through referendum.
2-8 Sec. 63.24. OPTIONAL PARTICIPATION. (a) A member school
2-9 may not participate in the program unless the students of the
2-10 member school choose to participate through their student
2-11 government.
2-12 (b) A member school may remove itself from program
2-13 participation.
2-14 Sec. 63.25. NOMINATION AND SELECTION IN MULTISCHOOL SYSTEMS.
2-15 (a) The student government of each member school of a university
2-16 system consisting of more than one member school shall nominate a
2-17 student for the position of advisory student regent and shall
2-18 forward the nomination to the governor not later than June 1 of
2-19 each year.
2-20 (b) The governor shall select the advisory student regent
2-21 for each university system consisting of more than one member
2-22 school from a list composed of the nominations of each member
2-23 school and shall announce the selections not later than August 1
2-24 of each year.
2-25 (c) The university system's advisory student regent may not
2-26 be selected from the same member school for two consecutive years.
2-27 Sec. 63.26. NOMINATION AND SELECTION IN SINGLE-SCHOOL
3-1 SYSTEMS. (a) The student government of a member school in a
3-2 university system consisting of only one member school shall
3-3 nominate three students for the position of advisory student regent
3-4 and shall forward the nominations to the governor not later than
3-5 June 1 of each year.
3-6 (b) The governor shall select the advisory student regent
3-7 for each single-school university system from a list composed of
3-8 the nominations of the member school and shall announce the
3-9 selections not later than August 1 of each year.
3-10 Sec. 63.27. CERTIFICATE OF APPOINTMENT. Not later than the
3-11 10th day after the date of appointment, the secretary of state
3-12 shall forward to the advisory student regent for each university
3-13 system a certificate that notifies the student of the appointment.
3-14 If the student fails for 10 days to give notice to the governor of
3-15 acceptance, the appointment is void and the place shall be filled
3-16 from the remaining students on the nomination list.
3-17 Sec. 63.28. EXPENSES OF ADVISORY STUDENT REGENT. An
3-18 advisory student regent of each university system serves without
3-19 compensation and any costs incurred by the student regent shall be
3-20 paid by the student regent or from revenue collected from the
3-21 student services fee.
3-22 (Sections 63.29-63.40 reserved for expansion
3-23 SUBCHAPTER C. POWERS AND DUTIES OF ADVISORY STUDENT REGENT
3-24 Sec. 63.41. NONVOTING LIAISON TO GOVERNING BOARD. (a) The
3-25 advisory student regent shall represent the interests of system
3-26 students and provide insight to the governing board as to the
3-27 perspective of system students.
4-1 (b) Except as provided by Subsection (c) of this section, an
4-2 advisory student regent has the same rights as a governing board
4-3 member to voice opinions, to make recommendations, or otherwise to
4-4 participate in all governing board meetings.
4-5 (c) An advisory student regent may not:
4-6 (1) vote on any matter before the governing board; or
4-7 (2) attend an executive meeting of the governing
4-8 board.
4-9 Sec. 63.42. ATTENDANCE AT GOVERNING BOARD MEETINGS. (a) An
4-10 advisory student regent shall attend each meeting of the governing
4-11 board other than an executive meeting.
4-12 (b) Failure to attend two consecutive governing board
4-13 meetings voids the appointment of the advisory student regent. The
4-14 student's place shall be filled from the remaining roundtable
4-15 members.
4-16 (Sections 63.43-63.60 reserved for expansion
4-17 SUBCHAPTER D. SYSTEM ROUNDTABLE
4-18 Sec. 63.61. SYSTEM ROUNDTABLE. Each member school of a
4-19 university system consisting of more than one member school shall
4-20 be represented on a system roundtable by that school's advisory
4-21 student regent nominee.
4-22 Sec. 63.62. POWERS AND DUTIES OF ROUNDTABLE. (a) The
4-23 system roundtable shall meet on a schedule to be determined by the
4-24 roundtable members to ensure that the advisory student regent is
4-25 aware of the concerns of the students of each member school.
4-26 (b) The roundtable shall meet at least once before the first
4-27 governing board meeting of each year after the certification of and
5-1 acceptance by the advisory student regent.
5-2 Sec. 63.63. PRESIDING OFFICER OF SYSTEM ROUNDTABLE. The
5-3 advisory student regent for a university system is the presiding
5-4 officer of the system roundtable for that university system.
5-5 Sec. 63.64. ATTENDANCE AT SYSTEM ROUNDTABLE MEETINGS. (a)
5-6 Each roundtable member shall attend each meeting of the roundtable.
5-7 (b) Failure to attend two consecutive roundtable meetings
5-8 voids the membership of the absent member, and the place shall be
5-9 filled by nomination of the member school, as provided by Section
5-10 63.25(a) of this code. If the absent member is also the advisory
5-11 student regent, the member's position as advisory student regent is
5-12 also forfeited and shall be filled from the remaining roundtable
5-13 members, subject to the restrictions in Subchapter B of this
5-14 chapter.
5-15 SECTION 2. Chapter 63, Education Code, as added by this Act,
5-16 expires September 1, 1996.
5-17 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
5-18 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
5-19 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
5-20 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
5-21 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
5-22 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
5-23 passage, and it is so enacted.