1-1 By: Cook, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Sibley) H.B. No. 1250
1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 3, 1995;
1-3 April 4, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on
1-4 Education; April 19, 1995, reported favorably by the following
1-5 vote: Yeas 10, Nays 0; April 19, 1995, sent to printer.)
1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-7 AN ACT
1-8 relating to training for members of the governing boards of public
1-9 institutions of higher education.
1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11 SECTION 1. Section 61.083, Education Code, as added by
1-12 Chapter 621, Acts of the 73rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1993,
1-13 is renumbered as Section 61.084, Education Code, and amended to
1-14 read as follows:
1-15 Sec. 61.084 <61.083>. TRAINING FOR MEMBERS OF GOVERNING
1-16 BOARDS. (a) The board by rule shall establish a training program
1-17 for members of the governing boards of institutions of higher
1-18 education. Each member of a governing board of an institution of
1-19 higher education shall attend, during the member's first two years
1-20 of service as a member of a governing board of an institution of
1-21 higher education, at least one training program <seminar> under
1-22 this section. A member may, but need not, attend additional
1-23 training programs <seminars> under this section.
1-24 (b) The training program must include a <two-day> seminar
1-25 held annually in Austin to be conducted by the staff of the board.
1-26 The staff of the board may obtain assistance from<, by>
1-27 representatives of <from> the office of the attorney general, the
1-28 office of the comptroller of public accounts, the office of the
1-29 state auditor, and the Texas Ethics Commission<,> and from <by>
1-30 other training personnel the board deems necessary. The board by
1-31 rule may prescribe an alternative training program for members of
1-32 governing boards for whom attendance at a seminar held in Austin
1-33 would be a hardship. The alternative training program need not be
1-34 in the form of a seminar but must include substantially the same
1-35 information included in the seminar held in Austin.
1-36 (c) The board by rule shall establish a registration fee to
1-37 be paid by training program <seminar> participants in an amount
1-38 adequate to cover the costs incurred by the board and other state
1-39 agencies in providing the training program. A <seminar>
1-40 participant shall pay from private funds the fee required by this
1-41 subsection and the participant's costs of travel, including
1-42 transportation, lodging, and meals. Neither the fee required by
1-43 this subsection nor a <seminar> participant's travel costs shall be
1-44 reimbursed from appropriated funds, other than grants and donations
1-45 of private funds available for that purpose.
1-46 (d) The content of the instruction at the training program
1-47 <seminar> shall focus on the official role and duties of the
1-48 members of governing boards and shall provide training in the areas
1-49 of budgeting, policy development, and governance. Topics covered
1-50 by the training program may include <as follows>:
1-51 (1) <one day of the seminar shall be devoted to the
1-52 area of budgeting and shall provide training and information in the
1-53 following areas:>
1-54 <(A) budget development;>
1-55 <(B) budgeting procedures; and>
1-56 <(C) a review of> auditing procedures and <of>
1-57 recent audits of institutions of higher education; <and>
1-58 (2) <one day of the seminar shall be devoted to the
1-59 areas of policy development and governance and shall provide
1-60 training and information in the following areas:>
1-61 <(A)> the enabling legislation that creates
1-62 institutions of higher education;
1-63 (3) <(B)> the role of the governing board at
1-64 institutions of higher education and the relationship between the
1-65 governing board and an institution's administration, faculty and
1-66 staff, and students;
1-67 (4) <(C)> the mission statements of institutions of
1-68 higher education;
2-1 <(D) policy development;>
2-2 (5) <(E)> disciplinary and investigative authority of
2-3 the governing board;
2-4 (6) <(F)> the requirements of the open meetings law,
2-5 Chapter 551, Government Code <271, Acts of the 60th Legislature,
2-6 Regular Session, 1967 (Article 6252-17, Vernon's Texas Civil
2-7 Statutes)>, and the open records law, Chapter 552, Government Code
2-8 <424, Acts of the 63rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1973 (Article
2-9 6252-17a, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes)>;
2-10 (7) <(G)> the requirements of conflict of interest
2-11 laws and other laws relating to public officials; <and>
2-12 (8) <(H)> any applicable ethics policies adopted by
2-13 institutions of higher education or the Texas Ethics Commission;
2-14 and
2-15 (9) any other topic relating to higher education the
2-16 board considers important.
2-17 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
2-18 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
2-19 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-20 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-21 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-22 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
2-23 * * * * *