SENATE HIGHER EDUCATION COMMITTEE
STATEMENT TO
SENATE, No. 2149
with committee amendments
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
DATED: JUNE 10, 2024
The Senate Higher Education Committee reports favorably Senate
Bill No. 2149, with committee amendments.
This amended bill makes various changes to the training
requirements of governing board members of public institutions of
higher education and provides for an annual appropriation of $350,000
from the General Fund to the Office of the Secretary of Higher
Education for the bill’s purposes.
Under current law, a newly appointed member of a governing
board of a public institution of higher education is required to
complete training within one year of the member’s appointment. This
amended bill requires that the training be completed within six months
of the member’s appointment and within six months of the start of
each successive term. Additionally, the amended bill requires the
members of a governing board of an institution at which a State
monitor has been appointed to complete the training within six months
of the appointment of the State monitor.
Current law generally provides that the subject matter of the board
member training is prescribed by the institutions of higher education,
in consultation with the Secretary of Higher Education. This amended
bill provides that the secretary is to determine the subject matter of the
training and that the training include the role of the governing board in
the financial management of an institution of higher education. The
amended bill provides that, in the case of four-year public institutions
of higher education, the secretary will arrange for the training; current
law, by contrast, requires the institution to arrange for the training.
Public institutions of higher education also would no longer be
required to conduct a periodic review of the training.
The amended bill directs the secretary to provide notification to a
governing board member who has failed to comply with the training
requirement and provide the member with a 30-day grace period to
fulfill the outstanding training requirement. The amended bill permits
the secretary to provide additional extensions to the grace period. The
amended bill provides that failure to fulfill the outstanding training
requirement within the grace period may, at the discretion of the
secretary, constitute a resignation. Under the amended bill, the board
member will be disqualified from being reappointed to the board, or 2
appointed to any other governing board of a public institution of
higher education, for the succeeding two-year period.
The amended bill further repeals a section of law that requires
four-year public institutions of higher education to provide certain
information, orientation, and training to each of its governing board
members. Under the amended bill, all required training for governing
board members at public institutions of higher education will be
arranged for by the secretary. The bill provides that the training may,
upon approval of the secretary, be made available online.
Finally, the amended bill provides that $350,000 will be annually
appropriated from the General Fund to the Office of the Secretary of
Higher Education to effectuate the bill’s purposes.
This bill was prefiled for introduction in the 2024-2025 session
pending technical review. As reported, the bill includes the changes
required by technical review, which has been performed.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:
The committee amended the bill to:
provide that all governing board members are to complete
training within six months of the start of each successive term;
require all members of a governing board of an institution at
which a State monitor has been appointed to complete the
training within six months of the appointment of the State
monitor;
permit the secretary to provide extensions to the grace period;
provide that failure to complete the training may, at the
discretion of the secretary, constitute a resignation from the
board; and
permit training for governing board members to be made
available online.