SF 2611

1st Engrossment - 90th Legislature (2017 - 2018) Posted on 08/28/2018 03:24pm

A bill for an act
relating to higher education; replacing the Regent Candidate Advisory Council
with a Legislative Commission on Regent Selection; modifying procedures related
to the regent nomination joint committee; amending Minnesota Statutes 2016,
sections 137.0245; 137.0246.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 137.0245, is amended to read:

137.0245 REGENT CANDIDATE ADVISORY COUNCIL LEGISLATIVE
COMMISSION ON REGENT SELECTION.

Subdivision 1.

Establishment.

A Regent Candidate Advisory Council Legislative
Commission on Regent Selection is established to assist in determining criteria for, and
identifying and recruiting qualified candidates for membership on the Board of Regents
and making recommendations to the joint legislative committee described in section
137.0246, subdivision 2.

Subd. 2.

Membership.

(a) The Regent Candidate Advisory Council shall Legislative
Commission on Regent Selection consist consists of: 24 members. Twelve members shall
be appointed by the Subcommittee on Committees of the Committee on Rules and
Administration of the senate. Twelve members shall be appointed by the speaker of the
house. Each appointing authority must appoint one member who is a student enrolled in a
degree program at the University of Minnesota at the time of appointment. No more than
one-third of the members appointed by each appointing authority may be current or former
legislators. No more than two-thirds of the members appointed by each appointing authority
may belong to the same political party; however, political activity or affiliation is not required
for the appointment of any member. Geographical representation must be taken into
consideration when making appointments. Section 15.0575 shall govern the advisory council,
except that:

(1) the members shall be appointed to six-year terms with one-third appointed each
even-numbered year; and

(2) student members are appointed to two-year terms with two students appointed each
even-numbered year.

A member may not serve more than two full terms

(1) four members of the house of representatives, two of whom are appointed by the
speaker of the house and two of whom are appointed by the minority leader; and

(2) four members of the senate, two of whom are appointed by the majority leader and
two of whom are appointed by the minority leader.

(b) Members serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. The first appointments
must be made by September 1, 2018.

(c) A chair of the commission serves a two-year term, expiring on June 30 in an
even-numbered year. The chair must alternate biennially between a designee of the speaker
of the house of representatives and a designee of the senate majority leader. The speaker of
the house of representatives shall designate the first chair. The chair may vote on any matter
before the commission.

Subd. 3.

Duties.

(a) The advisory council commission shall:

(1) develop, in consultation with current and former regents, the University of Minnesota
Alumni Association, and the administration of the University of Minnesota, a statement of
the selection criteria to be applied and a description of the responsibilities and duties of a
regent, and shall distribute this to potential candidates; and

(2) for each position on the board, identify and recruit qualified candidates for the Board
of Regents, based on the background and experience of the candidates, their potential for
discharging the responsibilities of a member of the Board of Regents, and the needs of the
board. The selection criteria must not include a limitation on the number of terms an
individual may serve on the Board of Regents.

(b) The selection criteria developed under paragraph (a), clause (1), must include a
criterion that regents represent diversity in geography; gender; race; occupation, including
business and labor; and experience.

(c) The selection criterion must include an identification of the membership needs of
the board for individual skills relevant to the governance of the University of Minnesota
and the needs for certain individual characteristics. Individual characteristics relate to
qualities such as gender, race, and geographic location of residence.

Subd. 4.

Recommendations.

(a) The advisory council commission shall recommend at
least two one and not more than four three candidates for each vacancy. By January 15 of
each odd-numbered year, the advisory council commission shall submit its recommendations
to the joint legislative committee described in section 137.0246, subdivision 2.

(b) The advisory council commission must submit a report to the joint committee on the
needs criterion identified under subdivision 3, paragraph (c), at the same time it submits its
recommendations.

Subd. 5.

Support services.

The Legislative Coordinating Commission shall provide
administrative and support services for the advisory council commission. The Legislative
Coordinating Commission shall collect application materials from regent candidates and
forward all materials to the Legislative Commission on Regent Selection.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 137.0246, is amended to read:

137.0246 REGENT NOMINATION AND ELECTION.

Subd. 2.

Regent nomination joint committee.

(a) The joint legislative committee
consists of the members of the higher education budget and policy divisions in each house
of the legislature. The chairs of the divisions from each body shall be cochairs of the joint
legislative committee. A majority of the members from each house is a quorum of the joint
committee.

(b) By February 28 of each odd-numbered year, or at a date agreed to by concurrent
resolution, the joint legislative committee shall meet to consider the advisory council's
Legislative Commission on Regent Selection's recommendations for regent of the University
of Minnesota for possible presentation to a joint convention of the legislature.

(c) The joint committee may recommend to the joint convention candidates recommended
by the advisory council Legislative Commission on Regent Selection and the other candidates
nominated by the joint committee. A candidate other than those recommended by the
advisory council Legislative Commission on Regent Selection may be nominated for
consideration by the joint committee only if the nomination receives the support of at least
three four house of representatives members of the committee and two three senate members
of the committee. A candidate must receive a majority vote of members from the house of
representatives and from the senate on the joint committee to be recommended to the joint
convention. The joint committee may recommend no more than one candidate for each
vacancy. In recommending nominees, the joint committee must consider the needs of the
board of regents and the balance of the board membership with respect to gender, racial,
and ethnic composition.