By:  Parker                                            S.B. No. 485
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
                                        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.
   1-10        (b)  The training program shall require the attendance of all
   1-11  governing board members at a two-day seminar to be conducted by the
   1-12  staff of the board, by representatives from the office of the
   1-13  attorney general, the office of the comptroller of public accounts,
   1-14  and the Texas Ethics Commission, and by other training personnel
   1-15  the board deems necessary.
   1-16        (c)  The content of the instruction at the seminar shall
   1-17  focus on the official role and duties of the members of governing
   1-18  boards and shall provide training in the areas of budgeting, policy
   1-19  development, and governance as follows:
   1-20              (1)  one day of the seminar shall be devoted to the
   1-21  area of budgeting and shall provide training and information in the
   1-22  following areas:
   1-23                    (A)  budget development;
    2-1                    (B)  budgeting procedures; and
    2-2                    (C)  a review of recent audits of institutions of
    2-3  higher education; and
    2-4              (2)  one day of the seminar shall be devoted to the
    2-5  areas of policy development and governance and shall provide
    2-6  training and information in the following areas:
    2-7                    (A)  the enabling legislation that creates
    2-8  institutions of higher education;
    2-9                    (B)  the role of the governing board at
   2-10  institutions of higher education and the relationship between the
   2-11  governing board and an institution's administration, faculty and
   2-12  staff, and students;
   2-13                    (C)  the mission statements of institutions of
   2-14  higher education;
   2-15                    (D)  policy development;
   2-16                    (E)  disciplinary and investigative authority of
   2-17  the governing board;
   2-18                    (F)  the requirements of the open meetings law,
   2-19  Chapter 271, Acts of the 60th Legislature, Regular Session, 1967
   2-20  (Article 6252-17, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), and the open
   2-21  records law, Chapter 424, Acts of the 63rd Legislature, Regular
   2-22  Session, 1973 (Article 6252-17a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes);
   2-23                    (G)  the requirements of conflict of interest
   2-24  laws and other laws relating to public officials; and
   2-25                    (H)  any applicable ethics policies adopted by
    3-1  institutions of higher education or the Texas Ethics Commission.
    3-2        SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
    3-3        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
    3-4  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    3-5  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    3-6  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    3-7  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.