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Amend SB 34 by adding the following SECTIONS to the bill and
renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of the bill appropriately:
SECTION ____. Section 51.351(1), Education Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(1) "General academic teaching institution,"
"governing board," "institution of higher education," "medical and
dental unit," "public junior college," and "university system" have
the meanings assigned by Section 61.003 [of this code].
SECTION ____. Subchapter G, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
amended by adding Sections 51.355 and 51.356 to read as follows:
Sec. 51.355. NONVOTING STUDENT REGENT; UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
BOARD OF REGENTS. (a) In this section, "student government" means
the representative student organization directly elected by the
student body of a general academic teaching institution or medical
and dental unit.
(b) The chancellor of each university system shall develop a
uniform application form to be used by each general academic
teaching institution and medical and dental unit in the university
system to solicit applicants for the position of student regent.
(c) Except as provided by Subsection (f), not later than
September 1 of each year, the student government of each general
academic teaching institution and medical and dental unit in a
university system shall solicit applicants for the position of
student regent. Not later than November 1, from among the
applications received by the student government, the student
government shall select five applicants as the student government's
recommendations for the position of student regent and send the
applications of those applicants, with the name of each applicant
and the name of the institution or unit in which the applicant is
enrolled removed, to the chancellor of the university system. From
among those applicants, the chancellor shall select two or more
applicants as the university system's recommendations for the
position of student regent and shall send the applications of those
applicants to the governor not later than December 1. The governor
may request to review all applications for the position of student
regent received by the student governments and may request to
review information required to be removed from an application by a
student government under this subsection. On February 1, or as soon
thereafter as practicable, the governor shall appoint one of the
applicants to serve as the student regent for the system for a
one-year term expiring on the next February 1. 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 or
medical and dental unit in the university system at the time of
appointment and throughout the student regent's term. For purposes
of this subsection, a person is considered to be enrolled in an
institution or unit for a summer term if the person was enrolled in
the institution or unit for the preceding semester and:
(1) is registered or preregistered at the institution
or unit 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 or unit in the following fall semester; or
(3) if the person completed a degree program in the
preceding semester, is admitted to another degree program at the
institution or unit for the following fall semester.
(e) A student regent is not a member of the board of regents
of the system for which the student regent is appointed. A student
regent has the same powers and duties as the members of the board of
regents of the system, including the right to attend and
participate in meetings of the board of regents, except that the
student regent:
(1) may not vote on any matter before the board or make
or second any motion before the board; and
(2) is not counted in determining whether a quorum
exists for a meeting of the board or in determining the outcome of
any vote of the board.
(f) The student government of the general academic teaching
institution or medical and dental unit at which a current student
regent was enrolled at the time of the student regent's appointment
may not solicit applicants for the position of student regent for
the next regular term of the position.
(g) A vacancy in the position of student regent for a
university system shall be filled for the unexpired term by
appointment by the governor in consultation with the chancellor of
the system.
Sec. 51.356. NONVOTING STUDENT REGENT; INSTITUTION BOARD OF
REGENTS. (a) This section applies only to a general academic
teaching institution that is not a part of a university system.
(b) In this section, "student government" means the
representative student organization directly elected by the
student body of a general academic teaching institution.
(c) The president of a general academic teaching
institution shall develop a uniform application form to be used to
solicit applicants for the position of student regent.
(d) Not later than September 1 of each year, the student
government of the general academic teaching institution shall
solicit applicants for the position of student regent. Not later
than November 1, from among the applications received by the
student government, the student government shall select five
applicants as the student government's recommendations for the
position of student regent and send the applications of those
applicants, with the name of each applicant removed, to the
president of the institution. From among those applicants, the
president shall select two or more applicants as the institution's
recommendations for the position of student regent and shall send
the applications of those applicants to the governor not later than
December 1. The governor may request to review all applications for
the position of student regent received by the student government
and may request to review information required to be removed from an
application by the student government under this subsection. On
February 1, or as soon thereafter as practicable, the governor
shall appoint one of the applicants to serve as the student regent
for the institution for a one-year term expiring on the next
February 1. The governor is not required to appoint an applicant
recommended by the president.
(e) A student regent must be enrolled as an undergraduate or
graduate student in the general academic teaching institution at
the time of appointment and throughout the student regent's term.
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 program in the
preceding semester, is admitted to another degree program at the
institution for the following fall semester.
(f) A student regent is not a member of the board of regents
of the institution for which the student regent is appointed. A
student regent has the same powers and duties as the members of the
board of regents of the institution, including the right to attend
and participate in meetings of the board of regents, except that the
student regent:
(1) may not vote on any matter before the board or make
or second any motion before the board; and
(2) is not counted in determining whether a quorum
exists for a meeting of the board or in determining the outcome of
any vote of the board.
(g) A vacancy in the position of student regent for an
institution shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment
by the governor in consultation with the president of the
institution.
SECTION ____. The initial term of a student regent
appointed for a state university system under Section 51.355,
Education Code, as added by this Act, or for a state university
under Section 51.356, Education Code, as added by this Act, expires
February 1, 2007. The appropriate student governments, the
chancellor of each state university system, the president of each
state university that is not a part of a university system, and the
governor shall take the actions required by Sections 51.355 and
51.356, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable
after this Act takes effect to select a student regent for each
state university or state university system for that initial term.