HSB 538 (LSB 5233YC (3) 91)

HOUSE FILE _____ 

BY  (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON COLLINS)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to selection committees for presidents of regents institutions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  SHORT TITLE.  This Act shall be known and may be cited as the “University President Selection Reform Act”.
    Sec. 2.  Section 262.9, subsection 2, paragraph b, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   b.  (1)  When electing a president of an institution of higher learning, the board may shall use a presidential selection committee. Only members of the board shall serve as voting members of a presidential selection the committee.  The committee shall recommend the most well-qualified candidates considered by the committee to the board. The board shall only elect a president from the recommended candidates. The committee may do any of the following in carrying out its duties:
   (a)  Contract for and use the services of any person engaged in the business of placing highly qualified job candidates in leadership positions.
   (b)  Use moneys allocated to the committee by the board.
   (2)  The identity of a candidate being considered by the committee shall be confidential for purposes of chapter 22 and shall not be subject to public disclosure unless the identity of the candidate is made public pursuant to the terms of a written agreement entered into between all members of the committee and the candidate.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   Under current law, the state board of regents may use a presidential selection committee when electing a president of an institution of higher learning under the control of the board. Only board members can serve as voting members of the committee.
   This bill requires the board to use such a committee. The bill provides that only board members can serve as members of the committee. The committee must recommend the most well-qualified candidates considered by the committee to the board, which shall only elect a president from the recommended candidates.
   The bill authorizes a committee to contract for and use the services of any person engaged in the business of placing highly qualified job candidates in leadership positions and to use moneys allocated to the committee by the board.
   The bill provides that the identity of a candidate being considered by the committee shall be confidential for purposes of Code chapter 22 (open records) and shall not be subject to public disclosure unless the identity of the candidate is made public pursuant to the terms of a written agreement.