SF 372 (LSB 2196SS (6) 87)

SENATE FILE 372

BY  DANIELSON

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the activities and duties of the state board of regents and the board’s administrative office.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  262.3  Board and board office —— prohibited activities.
   1.  A member of the state board of regents, the executive director of the board, and professional staff employed for the administration of the board’s office shall not have any business or financial relationship with any person employed by an institution governed by the board.
   2.  A person who registers as a lobbyist pursuant to section 68B.36 on behalf of a person who is a member of the state board of regents or on behalf of that member’s business or employer shall not, within two years after the termination of such service or employment as a lobbyist, become a lobbyist, state relations officer, or governmental liaison for any office, program, or department of an institution governed or administered by the board.
    Sec. 2.  Section 262.8, Code 2017, is amended to read as follows:
   262.8  Meetings —— public forums —— public readings.
   1.  The board shall meet four times a year. Special meetings may be called by the board, by the president of the board, or by the executive director of the board upon written request of any five members thereof.
   2.  Each regular meeting of the state board of regents shall begin with at least thirty minutes for public comment if requested by members of the public. A member of the public shall be granted up to five minutes to make comments and may be granted more time by a member of the board.
   3.  At least two members of the state board of regents shall hold public forums at which issues relating to the activities of the board and the institutions the board governs can be discussed and addressed. The forums shall provide the community with opportunities to pose questions, receive answers, and make comments. The board shall divide the state into at least six geographic regions, including but not limited to northwest, southwest, north central, south central, northeast, and southeast Iowa, and shall hold a forum in accordance with this subsection in each region at least quarterly. Notice of a forum shall be prominently posted on the board’s internet site at least two weeks prior to the date of the forum.
   4.  The board shall hold public readings of a proposal at two regular meetings of the board before the board takes action on a proposal before the board if the proposal affects an academic program at an institution governed by the board, or if the estimated cost of the proposal is one hundred thousand dollars or more. A quorum of the board must be physically present at any board meeting that includes a public reading required by this subsection. The affirmative vote of a majority of the membership of the board is necessary for any action to be taken by the board on a proposal subject to this subsection.
    Sec. 3.  Section 262.12, Code 2017, is amended to read as follows:
   262.12  Committees and administrative offices under board.
   1.  The state board of regents shall also have and exercise all the powers necessary and convenient for the effective administration of its office and of the institutions under its control, and to this end may create such committees, offices and agencies from its own members or others, and employ persons to staff the same, fix their compensation and tenure and delegate thereto, or to the administrative officers and faculty of the institutions under its control, such part of the authority and duties vested by statute in the board, and shall formulate and establish such rules, outline such policies and prescribe such procedures therefor, all as may be desired or determined by the board as recorded in their minutes.
   2.  The board of regents shall publish on its internet site specific criteria, including qualification requirements and preferences, for electing a president of any institution of higher learning governed by the board pursuant to section 262.9, subsection 2.
   3.  The board shall determine and adopt by rule the necessary qualifications, abilities, experience, and technical knowledge required for each position of employment within the office of the board. Notwithstanding subsection 1, in filling any position of employment in the office of the board, the executive director shall post public notice of the position title, the qualifications for the position, and the application deadline to fill the position on the board’s internet site at least two weeks before the deadline. The executive director shall review each applicant’s qualifications and shall approve the employment of an applicant only when the applicant’s qualifications meet the minimum job qualifications for the position as established by the board. 
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to activities and duties of the state board of regents, the executive director of the board, and the persons employed in the office of the state board.
   The bill provides that the board and its executive director and professional staff in the board’s office are prohibited from having any business or financial relationship with any person employed by an institution governed by the board.
   A person who registers as a lobbyist on behalf of a person who is a member of the board or on behalf of that member’s business or employer shall not within two years after the termination of such service or employment as a lobbyist become a lobbyist, state relations officer, or governmental liaison for any office, program, or department of an institution governed or administered by the board.
   If a proposal before the board affects an institution’s academic program or if its estimated cost is $100,000 or more, the bill requires that the board hold public readings of the proposal at two regular meetings of the board before taking action on the proposal. A quorum of the board must be physically present at these meetings, and the proposal must receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the membership for any action to be taken on the proposal.
   At least two members of the board shall hold public forums in each of at least six geographic regions of the state quarterly. Notice of a forum must be prominently posted on the board’s internet site at least two weeks prior to the date of the forum.
   Each regular board meeting shall begin with at least 30 minutes for public comment if requested by members of the public. A member of the public shall be granted up to five minutes to make comments and may be granted more time by a member of the board.
   The board must publish on its internet site specific criteria for electing a president of a regents university. The board must also adopt by rule the qualifications for each job in the office of the board. The executive director must post public notice of an open employment position on the board’s internet site at least two weeks before the application deadline, and shall review the qualifications of each applicant. The executive director shall not approve the employment of an applicant whose qualifications do not meet the minimum qualifications set by the board.
   The bill includes conforming changes.