A new authority member cannot vote, deliberate, or count as present at an authority meeting until completing the required training. The executive director must create and annually distribute a training manual, and members must sign a receipt-and-review statement.
Sec. 1006.057. MEMBER TRAINING. (a) A person who is appointed to and qualifies for office as a member of the authority may not vote, deliberate, or be counted as a member in attendance at a meeting of the authority 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 authority operations; (2) the programs, functions, rules, and budget of the authority; (3) the scope of and limitations on the rulemaking authority of the authority; (4) the results of the most recent formal audit of the authority; (5) the requirements of: (A) laws relating to open meetings, public information, administrative procedure, and disclosure of conflicts of interest; and (B) other laws applicable to members of the authority in performing their duties; and (6) any applicable ethics policies adopted by the department or the Texas Ethics Commission. (c) A person appointed to the authority 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 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 member of the authority. Each member of the authority shall sign and submit to the executive director a statement acknowledging that the member received and has reviewed the training manual. Transferred, redesignated and amended from Vernon's Civil Statutes, Sections 5(c), (d), and (e), Art/Sec 4413(37) by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 594 (S.B. 604), Sec. 5.10, eff. September 1, 2019.