A new board member cannot vote or act in meetings until completing the required training, and the board’s executive director must create, distribute, and maintain a training manual.
Sec. 801.057. TRAINING. (a) A person who is appointed to and qualifies for office as a member of the board may not vote, deliberate, or be counted as a member in attendance at a meeting of the board until the person completes a training program that complies with this section. (b) The training program must provide the person with information regarding: (1) the law governing board operations; (2) the programs, functions, rules, and budget of the board; (3) the scope of and limitations on the rulemaking authority of the board; (4) the types of board rules, interpretations, and enforcement actions that may implicate federal antitrust law by limiting competition or impacting prices charged by persons engaged in a profession or business the board regulates, including rules, interpretations, and enforcement actions that: (A) regulate the scope of practice of persons in a profession or business the board regulates; (B) restrict advertising by persons in a profession or business the board regulates; (C) affect the price of goods or services provided by persons in a profession or business the board regulates; or (D) restrict participation in a profession or business the board regulates; (5) the results of the most recent formal audit of the board; (6) the requirements of: (A) laws relating to open meetings, public information, administrative procedure, and disclosing conflicts of interest; and (B) other laws applicable to members of the board in performing their duties; and (7) any applicable ethics policies adopted by the board or the Texas Ethics Commission. (c) A person appointed to the board is entitled to reimbursement, as provided by the General Appropriations Act, for the travel expenses incurred in attending the training program regardless of whether the attendance at the program occurs before or after the person qualifies for office. (d) The executive director of the board shall create a training manual that includes the information required by Subsection (b). The executive director shall distribute a copy of the training manual annually to each board member. On receipt of the training manual, each board member shall sign and submit to the executive director a statement acknowledging receipt of the training manual. Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999. Amended by: Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 27 (S.B. 407), Sec. 6, eff. September 1, 2005. Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 536 (S.B. 319), Sec. 6, eff. September 1, 2017.