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OLR Bill Analysis
SB 850 (File 358, as amended by Senate "A")*
AN ACT CONCERNING VARIOUS REVISIONS TO THE HIGHER
EDUCATION STATUTES.
SUMMARY
This bill requires public and private Connecticut higher education
institutions to train their new governing board members within the
first year they serve. The bill establishes the required instruction and
training topics, which include financial, legal and ethical, and
institutional operation training topics, among others. By January 1,
2022, each institution must post on its website the training policy and a
summary of the instruction and training board members received.
Additionally, the bill requires the Board of Regents for Higher
Education (BOR) to make the Connecticut State Colleges and
Universities (CSCU) central office a separate line item in the
consolidated operating and capital expenditure budgets.
Lastly, the bill makes several conforming and technical changes.
*Senate Amendment “A” replaces the underlying bill, which was a
placeholder bill.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2021
§ 1 — PRIVATE INSTITUTION GOVERNING BOARD TRAI NING
The bill requires each private college and university governing
board to establish a policy by January 1, 2022, that requires new, first-
time board members to receive instruction and training within the first
year of membership. The training topics must include (1) financial
management of higher education institutions, (2) board members’ legal
and fiduciary responsibilities, and (3) applicable accreditation
standards for higher education institutions and programs of higher
learning. 2021SB-00850-R01-BA.DOCX
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§ 2 — PUBLIC INSTITUTION GOVERNING BOARD TRAIN ING
The bill requires BOR and the UConn Board of Trustees (BOT) to
each adopt a policy by January 1, 2022, that requires new governing
board members to receive instruction and training within the first year
of appointment on the topics listed in Table 1.
Table 1: Training Topics for BOR and UConn BOT Members
Board Operations and Member Duties
A board member’s duties to the state and the institution
Each board committee and its functions, including the executive committee
Financial Matters
Professional accounting and reporting standards
Business operations, administration, budgeting, financing, financial reporting,
financial reserves, and endowment management for higher education institutions
Institutional advancement, including philanthropic giving, and fundraising initiatives
Legal and Ethical Matters
Methods for meeting the board’s statutory, regulatory, and fiduciary obligations
State Freedom of Information Act provisions
A board member’s institutional and statutory ethical responsibilities
Institutional Operations
Development and implementation of institutional policies
Oversight of planning, construction, maintenance, expansion, and renovation
projects that impact the institution’s infrastructure, physical facilities, and natural
environment
Workforce planning, strategy, and investment
Alumni programming, communications and media, government and public relations,
and community affairs
Student Issues
Tuition, mandatory fees, and student debt trends
Student welfare issues, including academic studies, curriculum, residence life, 2021SB-00850-R01-BA.DOCX
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student governance and activities, and general physical and mental well-being
General Higher Education Issues
Current and anticipated higher education issues
Other topics each governing board deems necessary
§§ 3-5 — BOR BUDGETING PROCES S
The bill requires BOR to make the CSCU central office a separate
line item in the consolidated operating and capital expenditure
budgets that it submits to the Office of Policy and Management (OPM)
(see BACKGROUND). Under current law, the budget is itemized by
each state university, regional community technical college, and
Charter Oak State College.
The bill also exempts central office appropriations from the same
statutory limits on allotment reductions (i.e., rescissions) that apply to
the public colleges and universities.
BACKGROUND
Related Bill
HB 5545 (File 145), favorably reported by the Higher Education and
Employment Advancement Committee, contains the same provisions
on BOR budgeting as §§ 3-5 of the bill.
BOR Budget Preparation
By law, BOR must develop either a formula or a program-based
budgeting system for each institution to use when preparing their
requested operating budgets. Using the formula or system, BOR then
prepares a single budget request to submit to the OPM secretary,
itemized by university, regional community-technical college, and
Charter Oak State College. The request has a proposed expenditure
plan that includes the (1) total appropriation requested from the
legislature, (2) amount to be appropriated from the General Fund, and
(3) amount to be paid from tuition revenues (including any proposed
tuition increases) (CGS § 10a-8(a)).
COMMITTEE ACTION 2021SB-00850-R01-BA.DOCX
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Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 19 Nay 3 (03/22/2021)