By: Barrientos S.B. No. 111
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to a voting student member on the board of regents of The
University of Texas System.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 65.11, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 65.11. BOARD OF REGENTS. (a) The government of the
university system is vested in a board of nine regents appointed by
the governor with the advice and consent of the senate.
(b) The governor shall appoint one of the regents as
provided by Section 65.111.
(c) The board may provide for the administration,
organization, and names of the institutions and entities in The
University of Texas System in such a way as will achieve the maximum
operating efficiency of such institutions and entities, provided,
however, that no institution or entity of The University of Texas
System not authorized by specific legislative act to offer a
four-year undergraduate program as of the effective date of this
Act shall offer any such four-year undergraduate program without
prior recommendation and approval by a two-thirds vote of the Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board and a specific act of the
Legislature.
SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 65, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 65.111 to read as follows:
Sec. 65.111. STUDENT REGENT. (a) In this section:
(1) "General academic teaching institution" has the
meaning assigned by Section 61.003.
(2) "Student government" means the representative
student organization directly elected by the student body of a
general academic teaching institution.
(b) The chancellor of The University of Texas System shall
develop a uniform application form to be used by each general
academic teaching institution to solicit applicants for the
position of student regent. The chancellor shall consult with The
University of Texas System Student Advisory Council before adopting
or amending the form.
(c) Except as provided by Subsection (f), not later than the
October 1 preceding the date on which the term of a student regent
expires, the student government of each general academic teaching
institution in the system shall solicit applicants for the position
of student regent. The student government shall remove from each
application the name of the applicant and the name of the general
academic teaching institution attended by the applicant and shall
send each application received by the student government to The
University of Texas System Student Advisory Council. From among
the applications received by the council, the council shall select
five applicants as the council's recommendations for the position
of student regent and send the applications of those applicants to
the chancellor of the system. From among the applicants whose
applications are received by the chancellor, the chancellor shall
select two or more applicants as the system's recommendations for
the position of student regent and shall send the applications of
those applicants to the governor. The governor may request to
review all applications for the position of student regent received
by The University of Texas System Student Advisory Council and may
request to review information required to be removed from an
application by a student government under this subsection. The
governor with the advice and consent of the senate shall appoint one
of the applicants to serve as student regent for the next term of
that office. The governor is not required to appoint an applicant
recommended by the chancellor.
(d) A student regent must be enrolled as an undergraduate or
graduate student in a general academic teaching institution in the
system at the time of appointment. For purposes of this subsection,
a person is considered to be enrolled in an institution for a summer
term if the person was enrolled in the institution for the preceding
semester and:
(1) is registered or preregistered at the institution
for the following fall semester;
(2) if the person has not completed the person's degree
program, is eligible to continue the degree program at the
institution in the following fall semester; or
(3) if the person completed a degree in the preceding
semester, is admitted to another degree program at the institution
for the following fall semester.
(e) The student regent has the same powers and duties,
including voting privileges, as the other board members under
Subchapter C.
(f) The student government of the general academic teaching
institution at which the current student regent was enrolled at the
time of the regent's appointment may not solicit applicants for the
position of student regent for the next regular term of office.
(g) A vacancy in the position of student regent shall be
filled for the unexpired term as provided by Subsection (c).
(h) If a vacancy in the board of regents occurs before
February 1, 2005, the vacancy shall be filled by a student regent as
provided by Subsection (c) as soon as practicable. Notwithstanding
Section 65.12(c), the term of a student regent appointed to fill a
vacancy under this subsection expires February 1, 2005. On the
expiration of the term of a student regent appointed under this
section, any remainder of the term shall be filled by the governor
as provided by Section 65.11(a). This subsection expires January
1, 2006.
SECTION 3. Section 65.12, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 65.12. QUALIFICATIONS; TERMS. (a) A regent must [Each
member of the board shall] be a qualified voter.
(b) The regents [; and the members] shall be selected from
different geographic regions [portions] of the state.
(c) The regents appointed under Section 65.11(a) [members]
hold office for staggered terms of six years, with the terms of two
or three regents, as applicable, expiring February 1 of
odd-numbered years.
(d) A student regent appointed under Section 65.111 holds
office for a term of three years, with the term of the initial
student regent expiring February 1, 2008.
SECTION 4. (a) This Act takes effect October 1, 2003.
(b) The appropriate student governments, the chancellor of
The University of Texas System, and the governor shall take the
actions required by Section 65.111, Education Code, as added by
this Act, as soon as practicable after this Act takes effect to
select a student regent to serve on the board of regents of The
University of Texas System for a term expiring February 1, 2008.
(c) This Act does not affect the term of a member of the
board of regents of The University of Texas System serving on the
effective date of this Act.