S.B. No. 485
AN ACT
1-1 relating to training for members of the governing boards of
1-2 institutions of higher education.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
1-5 amended by adding Section 61.083 to read as follows:
1-6 Sec. 61.083. TRAINING FOR MEMBERS OF GOVERNING BOARDS.
1-7 (a) The board by rule shall establish a training program for
1-8 members of the governing boards of institutions of higher
1-9 education. Each member of a governing board of an institution of
1-10 higher education shall attend, during the member's first two years
1-11 of service as a member of a governing board of an institution of
1-12 higher education, at least one training program seminar under this
1-13 section. A member may, but need not, attend additional seminars
1-14 under this section.
1-15 (b) The training program must include a two-day seminar held
1-16 annually in Austin to be conducted by the staff of the board, by
1-17 representatives from the office of the attorney general, the office
1-18 of the comptroller of public accounts, the office of the state
1-19 auditor, and the Texas Ethics Commission, and by other training
1-20 personnel the board deems necessary.
1-21 (c) The board by rule shall establish a registration fee to
1-22 be paid by seminar participants in an amount adequate to cover the
1-23 costs incurred by the board and other state agencies in providing
2-1 the training program. A seminar participant shall pay from private
2-2 funds the fee required by this subsection and the participant's
2-3 costs of travel, including transportation, lodging, and meals.
2-4 Neither the fee required by this subsection nor a seminar
2-5 participant's travel costs shall be reimbursed from appropriated
2-6 funds, other than grants and donations of private funds available
2-7 for that purpose.
2-8 (d) The content of the instruction at the seminar shall
2-9 focus on the official role and duties of the members of governing
2-10 boards and shall provide training in the areas of budgeting, policy
2-11 development, and governance as follows:
2-12 (1) one day of the seminar shall be devoted to the
2-13 area of budgeting and shall provide training and information in the
2-14 following areas:
2-15 (A) budget development;
2-16 (B) budgeting procedures; and
2-17 (C) a review of auditing procedures and of
2-18 recent audits of institutions of higher education; and
2-19 (2) one day of the seminar shall be devoted to the
2-20 areas of policy development and governance and shall provide
2-21 training and information in the following areas:
2-22 (A) the enabling legislation that creates
2-23 institutions of higher education;
2-24 (B) the role of the governing board at
2-25 institutions of higher education and the relationship between the
3-1 governing board and an institution's administration, faculty and
3-2 staff, and students;
3-3 (C) the mission statements of institutions of
3-4 higher education;
3-5 (D) policy development;
3-6 (E) disciplinary and investigative authority of
3-7 the governing board;
3-8 (F) the requirements of the open meetings law,
3-9 Chapter 271, Acts of the 60th Legislature, Regular Session, 1967
3-10 (Article 6252-17, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), and the open
3-11 records law, Chapter 424, Acts of the 63rd Legislature, Regular
3-12 Session, 1973 (Article 6252-17a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes);
3-13 (G) the requirements of conflict of interest
3-14 laws and other laws relating to public officials; and
3-15 (H) any applicable ethics policies adopted by
3-16 institutions of higher education or the Texas Ethics Commission.
3-17 SECTION 2. Notwithstanding the requirement in Subsection
3-18 (a), Section 61.083, Education Code, as added by this Act, that a
3-19 member of a governing board of an institution of higher education
3-20 attend a training seminar in the member's first two years of
3-21 service, a person serving as a member of a governing board of an
3-22 institution of higher education on the effective date of this Act
3-23 shall attend a training seminar under that section not later than
3-24 September 1, 1995.
3-25 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
4-1 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
4-2 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
4-3 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
4-4 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
4-5 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.