By: Wentworth S.B. No. 276

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to student members of the board of regents of a state university or state university system.

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

SECTION 1. Section 51.355, Education Code, as added by Chapters 292 and 1181, Acts of the 79th Legislature, Regular Session, 2005, is amended by amending Subsections (c) and (d) and adding Subsections (d-1), (h), and (i) to read as follows:

(c) Except as provided by Subsection (f), not later than November [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 appointment to the next regular term of the position of student regent. Not later than January [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 February [December] 1. The governor may request to review all applications for the position of student regent received by the student governments and may request an applicant to submit additional information to the governor [to review information required to be removed from an application by a student government under this subsection]. On June [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 May 31 [February 1]. The governor is not required to appoint an applicant recommended by the chancellor.

(d) To be eligible for appointment as student regent, a person [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 and be in good academic standing as determined by the institution at the time of appointment. The person must remain enrolled at the institution [and] throughout the person's term as a student regent [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.

(d-1) Throughout a student regent's term, the student regent must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a four-point scale. The president of the institution in which the student regent is enrolled shall notify the governor if the student regent fails to maintain the qualifications required by this section.

(h) On receiving notice under Subsection (d-1) from the president of the institution in which the student regent is enrolled that the student regent has failed to maintain the qualifications required by this section, the governor shall declare the position of student regent vacant and as soon as practicable fill the vacancy in the manner prescribed by Subsection (g).

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

SECTION 2. Section 51.356, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsections (d) and (e) and adding Subsections (e-1), (h), and (i) to read as follows:

(d) Not later than November [September] 1 of each year, the student government of the general academic teaching institution shall solicit applicants for appointment to the next regular term of the position of student regent. Not later than January [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 February [December] 1. The governor may request to review all applications for the position of student regent received by the student government and may request an applicant to submit additional information to the governor [to review information required to be removed from an application by the student government under this subsection]. On June [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 May 31 [February 1]. The governor is not required to appoint an applicant recommended by the president.

(e) To be eligible for appointment as student regent, a person [A student regent] must be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student in the general academic teaching institution and be in good academic standing as determined by the institution at the time of appointment. The person must remain enrolled at the institution [and] throughout the person's term as a student regent [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.

(e-1) Throughout a student regent's term, the student regent must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a four-point scale. The president of the institution in which the student regent is enrolled shall notify the governor if the student regent fails to maintain the qualifications required by this section.

(h) On receiving notice under Subsection (e-1) from the president of the institution that the student regent has failed to maintain the qualifications required by this section, the governor shall declare the position of student regent vacant and as soon as practicable fill the vacancy in the manner prescribed by Subsection (g).

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

SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply to a student regent on the board of regents of a state university system or state university serving on or appointed after the effective date of this Act.

SECTION 4. The term of a student regent on the board of regents of a state university system or state university that under the law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act was to expire February 1, 2008, is extended to expire on May 31, 2008.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2007.