84R8138 KSD-D
	By: Sheffield	H.B. No. 1256

	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.  Sections 51.355(c), (d), and (d-1), Education
	Code, are amended to read as follows:
	(c)  Except as provided by Subsection (f), not later than
	November 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 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 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 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.  On June 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.  The governor is not
	required to appoint an applicant recommended by the chancellor, but
	may not appoint a student regent who did not submit an application
	to the student government of a general academic teaching
	institution or medical and dental unit in the system as described by
	this subsection.
	(d)  To be eligible for appointment as student regent, a
	person must be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student in a
	general academic teaching institution or medical and dental unit in
	the university system, have been enrolled in the institution in the
	two semesters preceding the term for which the person is appointed,
	and be in good academic and disciplinary standing, as determined by
	the institution, at the time of appointment and during the two
	semesters preceding the term for which the person is
	appointed.  The person must remain enrolled at the institution
	throughout the person's term as a student regent.  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 3.0 [2.5] on
	a four-point scale on all coursework previously attempted at the
	institution and on all coursework previously attempted at any
	public or private institutions of higher education and remain in
	good academic and disciplinary standing with the institution, as
	determined by the institution.  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.
	SECTION 2.  Sections 51.356(d), (e), and (e-1), Education
	Code, are amended to read as follows:
	(d)  Not later than November 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 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 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 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.  On
	June 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.  The
	governor is not required to appoint an applicant recommended by the
	president, but may not appoint a student regent who did not submit
	an application to the student government of the institution as
	described by this subsection.
	(e)  To be eligible for appointment as student regent, a
	person must be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student in
	the general academic teaching institution, have been enrolled in
	the institution in the two semesters preceding the term for which
	the person is appointed, and be in good academic and disciplinary
	standing, as determined by the institution, at the time of
	appointment and during the two semesters preceding the term for
	which the person is appointed.  The person must remain enrolled at
	the institution throughout the person's term as a student
	regent.  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 3.0 [2.5] on
	a four-point scale on all coursework previously attempted at the
	institution and on all coursework previously attempted at any
	public or private institutions of higher education and remain in
	good academic and disciplinary standing with the institution, as
	determined by the institution.  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.
	SECTION 3.  Sections 51.355(c) and 51.356(d), Education
	Code, as amended by this Act, are intended only to clarify existing
	law with respect to the appointment of student members of the board
	of regents of a state university or state university system.
	SECTION 4.  The changes in law made by this Act to Sections
	51.355(d) and (d-1) and 51.356(e) and (e-1), Education Code, apply
	only to a student regent appointed to the board of regents of a
	state university system or a state university on or after the
	effective date of this Act.
	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, 2015.