80R4893 JRJ-D

By: Giddings H.B. No. 2225

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to student representation on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and certain coordinating board advisory committees.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 61.0225 to read as follows:

Sec. 61.0225. NONVOTING STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE. (a) In this section:

(1) "Board" means the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board or its successor agency.

(2) "Student government" means the representative student organization directly elected by the student body of an institution of higher education.

(b) The president of each institution of higher education shall develop a uniform application form to be used by the institution to solicit applicants for the position of student representative to the board.

(c) Except as provided by Subsection (g), not later than September 1 of each year, the student government of each institution of higher education shall solicit applicants for appointment to the next regular term of the position of student representative. 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 representative 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 representative and shall send the applications of those applicants, with the name of the institution in which the applicants are enrolled removed, to the governor not later than December 1. The governor may request to review all applications for the position of student representative received by the student governments and may request to review information required to be removed from an application by a student government or the president of an institution under this subsection. On February 1, or as soon thereafter as practicable, the governor, with the advice and consent of the senate, shall appoint one of the applicants to serve as the student representative for the board for a one-year term expiring on the next February 1. The governor is not required to appoint an applicant recommended by the president of an institution of higher education.

(d) A student representative must be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student in an institution of higher education at the time of appointment and throughout the student representative'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.

(e) A student representative has the same powers and duties as the members of the board, including the right to attend and participate in meetings of the board, except that the student representative:

(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) A student representative serves without compensation but is entitled to be reimbursed for the actual expenses incurred by the student representative in attending the meetings of the board, subject to the approval of the chairman of the board.

(g) The student government of the institution of higher education at which a current student representative was enrolled at the time of the student representative's appointment may not solicit applicants for the position of student representative for the next regular term of the position.

(h) A vacancy in the position of student representative shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate.

SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 61.071 to read as follows:

Sec. 61.071. STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES ON CERTAIN BOARD ADVISORY COMMITTEES. (a) In this section:

(1) "Board" means the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board or its successor agency.

(2) "Student government" means the representative student organization directly elected by the student body of an institution of higher education.

(b) The president of an institution of higher education may solicit applicants for student representatives for the board advisory committee for:

(1) common application, established under Section 51.762;

(2) core curriculum, established under Section 61.822;

(3) distance education, established under Section 61.0771;

(4) financial aid, established under Section 61.0776;

(5) graduate education;

(6) undergraduate education; and

(7) transfer issues.

(c) Not later than September 1 of each year, the student government of the institution shall review any applications received for appointment to the next regular term of the position of student representative for one or more of the advisory committees described by Subsection (b). Not later than November 1, from among the applications received by the student government for the committee positions, the student government may select no more than five applicants as the student government's recommendations for the position of student representative for one or more of the committee positions 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 may select two or more applicants as the institution's recommendations for the position of student representative for one or more of the committee positions and shall send the applications of those applicants, if any, with the name of the institution in which the applicants are enrolled removed, to the board not later than December 1. The board may request to review all applications for the position of student representative received by the student government and may request to review information required to be removed from an application by the student government or the president of an institution under this subsection. On February 1, or as soon thereafter as practicable, the board shall appoint to each advisory committee one of the applicants to serve as the student representative on the committee for a one-year term expiring on the next February 1. The board is not required to appoint an applicant recommended by the president of an institution of higher education as the student representative on an advisory committee.

(d) A student representative must be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student in an institution of higher education at the time of appointment and throughout the student representative'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.

(e) A student representative on an advisory committee has the same powers and duties as the members of the advisory committee, including the right to attend and participate in meetings of the committee, except that the student representative:

(1) may not vote on any matter before the committee or make or second any motion before the committee; and

(2) is not counted in determining whether a quorum exists for a meeting of the committee or in determining the outcome of any vote of the committee.

(f) A student representative serves without compensation but is entitled to be reimbursed for the actual expenses incurred by the student representative in attending the meetings of the advisory committee, subject to the approval of the chairman of the board.

(g) A vacancy in the position of student representative on an advisory committee shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment by the board.

SECTION 3. The initial term of a student representative appointed to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under Section 61.0225, Education Code, as added by this Act, or for a coordinating board advisory committee under Section 61.071, Education Code, as added by this Act, expires February 1, 2009. The appropriate student governments, the president of each institution of higher education, the coordinating board, and the governor shall take the actions required by Sections 61.0225 and 61.071, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after this Act takes effect to select a student representative for the coordinating board and each of the advisory committees for that initial term.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.