By Wentworth S.B. No. 769
74R6642 JSA-F
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the representation of college and university students
1-3 on the governing boards of their 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. 63.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
1-11 (1) "Member school" means a general academic teaching
1-12 institution or a medical and dental unit as those terms are defined
1-13 by Section 61.003.
1-14 (2) "University system" has the meaning assigned by
1-15 Section 61.003(10).
1-16 (3) "Governing board" or "board" has the meaning
1-17 assigned by Section 61.003(9).
1-18 (Sections 63.002-63.010 reserved for expansion
1-19 SUBCHAPTER B. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
1-20 Sec. 63.011. ADVISORY STUDENT LIAISON. If the students of
1-21 any member school choose to participate in the program under this
1-22 chapter, the governing board of each university system shall
1-23 include a nonvoting advisory student liaison, selected as provided
1-24 by this subchapter.
2-1 Sec. 63.012. QUALIFICATIONS; TERMS. An advisory student
2-2 liaison nominee must be a qualified voter. The advisory student
2-3 liaison serves for a term of one year, beginning September 1.
2-4 Sec. 63.013. SCHOOLS LACKING STUDENT GOVERNMENT. At a
2-5 member school lacking student government, any duty assigned by this
2-6 chapter to the student government shall be performed by the general
2-7 student population through referendum.
2-8 Sec. 63.014. OPTIONAL PARTICIPATION. A member school may
2-9 not participate in the program under this chapter unless the
2-10 students of the member school choose to participate through their
2-11 student government. The student government of a member school may
2-12 remove the school from program participation.
2-13 Sec. 63.015. NOMINATION AND SELECTION IN MULTISCHOOL SYSTEMS
2-14 IN WHICH MORE THAN ONE SCHOOL PARTICIPATES. (a) The student
2-15 government of each member school of a university system consisting
2-16 of more than one member school that participates in the program
2-17 shall select representatives for membership on the system's student
2-18 advisory council as provided by Section 63.031. The student
2-19 advisory council shall nominate three of its members for the
2-20 position of advisory student liaison for the university system and
2-21 shall send those three nominations to the governor not later than
2-22 June 1 of each year.
2-23 (b) The governor shall select an advisory student liaison
2-24 for each university system consisting of more than one member
2-25 school that participates in the program from the list composed of
2-26 the nominations sent to the governor under Subsection (a). The
2-27 governor shall announce the selections not later than August 1 of
3-1 each year.
3-2 Sec. 63.016. NOMINATION AND SELECTION IN SINGLE-SCHOOL
3-3 SYSTEMS AND IN MULTISCHOOL SYSTEMS IN WHICH ONLY ONE SCHOOL
3-4 PARTICIPATES. (a) The student government of a member school of a
3-5 university system consisting of only one member school or of only
3-6 one member school that participates in the program shall nominate
3-7 three students for the position of advisory student liaison. One
3-8 of the nominees may be the school's student government president.
3-9 The nominations shall be forwarded to the governor not later than
3-10 June 1 of each year.
3-11 (b) The governor shall select the advisory student liaison
3-12 for each single-school university system or each multischool
3-13 university system in which only one school participates in the
3-14 program from the list of nominations of the member school. The
3-15 governor shall announce the selections not later than August 1 of
3-16 each year.
3-17 Sec. 63.017. CERTIFICATE OF APPOINTMENT. The secretary of
3-18 state shall forward a certificate to the student appointed as
3-19 advisory student liaison for each university system within 10 days
3-20 after the appointment notifying the student of the appointment. If
3-21 any person so appointed and notified fails to give notice of
3-22 acceptance to the governor on or before the 10th day after the date
3-23 the person receives the notice of the appointment, the appointment
3-24 is void, and the place shall be filled from the remaining students
3-25 on the nomination list.
3-26 Sec. 63.018. EXPENSES OF ADVISORY STUDENT LIAISON. The
3-27 advisory student liaison for a university system serves without
4-1 compensation, and any costs incurred shall be paid by the student
4-2 liaison or from revenue collected from the student services fee.
4-3 (Sections 63.019-63.020 reserved for expansion
4-4 SUBCHAPTER C. POWERS AND DUTIES OF ADVISORY STUDENT LIAISON
4-5 Sec. 63.021. NONVOTING LIAISON TO BOARD. (a) The advisory
4-6 student liaison shall represent the interests of university system
4-7 students and provide insight to the board as to the perspective of
4-8 system students.
4-9 (b) An advisory student liaison has the same rights as any
4-10 board member to voice opinions, to make recommendations, or to
4-11 otherwise participate in all board meetings, except that an
4-12 advisory student liaison is not entitled to vote on any matter
4-13 before the board. An advisory student liaison may not be included
4-14 in an executive meeting of the board unless the advisory student
4-15 liaison is invited to attend the executive meeting by the chairman
4-16 of the board.
4-17 Sec. 63.022. ATTENDANCE AT BOARD MEETINGS. An advisory
4-18 student liaison shall attend each meeting of the governing board.
4-19 Failure to attend two consecutive board meetings voids the
4-20 appointment of the advisory student liaison. The student's place
4-21 shall be filled by the governor from the remaining advisory student
4-22 liaison nominees, subject to the restrictions in Subchapter B.
4-23 (Sections 63.023-63.030 reserved for expansion
4-24 SUBCHAPTER D. SYSTEM STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL
4-25 Sec. 63.031. SYSTEM STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL. Each member
4-26 school of a university system consisting of more than one member
4-27 school that participates in the program shall be represented on a
5-1 system student advisory council. The council consists of two
5-2 student representatives from each member school, except that a
5-3 member school with doctoral programs may select a third
5-4 representative. One of the representatives from a member school
5-5 may be that school's student government president. Each member
5-6 school's representatives to the council shall be chosen not later
5-7 than April 1 of each year.
5-8 Sec. 63.032. POWERS AND DUTIES OF SYSTEM STUDENT ADVISORY
5-9 COUNCIL. The system student advisory council shall meet on a
5-10 schedule to be determined by the council members to ensure that the
5-11 advisory student liaison is aware of the concerns of the students
5-12 of each member school. The council shall meet before June 1 of
5-13 each year to select the student advisory liaison nominees to be
5-14 presented to the governor as provided by Section 63.015. The
5-15 council also shall meet at least once before the first governing
5-16 board meeting of each year following the certification of and
5-17 acceptance by the advisory student liaison.
5-18 Sec. 63.033. CHAIR OF SYSTEM STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL. The
5-19 advisory student liaison for the university system is the chair of
5-20 the system student advisory council.
5-21 Sec. 63.034. ATTENDANCE AT SYSTEM STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL
5-22 MEETINGS. Each system student advisory council member shall attend
5-23 each meeting of the council. Failure to attend two consecutive
5-24 council meetings voids the membership of the absent member, and the
5-25 member school shall select another representative to fill the
5-26 vacant place on the council. If the absent member is the advisory
5-27 student liaison, the member's position as advisory student liaison
6-1 is forfeited and shall be filled from the remaining council
6-2 members, subject to the restrictions provided by Subchapter B.
6-3 (Sections 63.035-63.040 reserved for expansion
6-4 SUBCHAPTER E. EXPIRATION OF CHAPTER
6-5 Sec. 63.041. EXPIRATION OF CHAPTER. This chapter expires
6-6 September 1, 1999.
6-7 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the
6-8 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
6-9 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
6-10 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
6-11 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
6-12 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
6-13 passage, and is so enacted.