BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1206

By: Guillen

Higher Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Currently, a training program is required for all members appointed to the governing boards of institutions of higher education. C.S.H.B. 1206 extends this training requirement to elected members and sets out more specific content guidelines for such a training program.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1206 amends the Education Code to require each elected member of a governing board of an institution of higher education, in addition to each appointed member, to attend, during the member's first two years of service on the governing board, at least one training program for members of governing boards of institutions of higher education. The bill makes a conforming change to remove a provision authorizing an elected member to attend such a training program.

C.S.H.B. 1206 requires topics covered by the training program for members of a governing board of a public junior college district to include, in addition to other required instruction content, information about best practices in campus financial management, financial ratio analysis, and case studies using financial indicators.

C.S.H.B. 1206 requires the minutes of the last regular meeting held by a governing board of a public junior college district during a calendar year to reflect whether each member of the governing board has completed any training required to be completed by the member as of the meeting date. The bill makes a nonsubstantive change.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2011.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 1206 contains a provision not included in the original requiring the minutes of the last regular meeting held by a governing board of a public junior college district during a calendar year to reflect whether each member of the governing board has completed required training.