Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

Vermont House Bill H0198 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	BILL AS INTRODUCED H.198
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5	5	VT LEG #379084 v.2
6	6	H.198 1
7	7	Introduced by Representatives Minier of South Burlington, Berbeco of 2
8	8	Winooski, Carris-Duncan of Whitingham, Casey of Montpelier, 3
9	9	Cina of Burlington, Greer of Bennington, Harple of Glover, 4
10	10	Headrick of Burlington, Howard of Rutland City, Kleppner of 5
11	11	Burlington, Logan of Burlington, McCann of Montpelier, 6
12	12	McGill of Bridport, Morrissey of Bennington, Nugent of South 7
13	13	Burlington, Rachelson of Burlington, Satcowitz of Randolph, 8
14	14	Sweeney of Shelburne, Tomlinson of Winooski, and Winter of 9
15	15	Ludlow 10
16	16	Referred to Committee on 11
17	17	Date: 12
18	18	Subject: Education; University of Vermont; Board of Trustees 13
19	19	Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to add one 14
20	20	voting faculty member and one staff member to the Board of Trustees of the 15
21	21	University of Vermont and State Agricultural College. It also adds a 16
22	22	requirement that one of the two student trustees shall be an undergraduate 17
23	23	student and one shall be a graduate student. 18
24	24	An act relating to the reconstitution of the University of Vermont Board of 19
25	25	Trustees 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.198
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30	30	It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 1
31	31	Sec. 1. 16 App. V.S.A. § 1-2 is amended to read: 2
32	32	§ 1-2. BOARD OF TRUSTEES; MEMBERSHIP, TERMS OF SERVICE; 3
33	33	PRESIDING CHAIR 4
34	34	The Board of Trustees of the University of Vermont and State Agricultural 5
35	35	College shall be composed of 25 27 members, whose term of office shall be six 6
36	36	years, except as to those who are members ex officio and to those who are 7
37	37	faculty and student members. Three members shall be appointed by the 8
38	38	Governor with the consent of the Senate. During the legislative session of 9
39	39	1955, the Governor shall appoint one member for a term of two years, one 10
40	40	member for a term of four years, and one member for a term of six years and it 11
41	41	shall be the duty of the Governor during the session of the Legislature prior to 12
42	42	expiration of the term of office of any of the members to appoint for the term 13
43	43	of six years a successor to the member whose term is expiring. The terms of 14
44	44	office of the Trustees trustees shall expire on the last day of February in the 15
45	45	respective years of expiration, and the terms of office of their successors shall 16
46	46	thereafter begin on March 1 and expire on the last day of February. 17
47	47	Nine members shall be those who have been heretofore elected by the 18
48	48	Legislature as members of the Board of Trustees of the University of Vermont 19
49	49	and State Agricultural College, and whose terms have not expired, and their 20
50	50	successors, and it shall be the duty of the Legislature at its session during 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.198
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55	55	which the terms of office of any class of the members expire to elect three 1
56	56	successor members for terms of six years. The terms shall commence on 2
57	57	March 1 in the year of election. The nine Trustees trustees and their successors 3
58	58	shall also constitute the Board of Trustees of the Vermont Agricultural 4
59	59	College. 5
60	60	Nine members shall be those who have been heretofore elected on behalf of 6
61	61	the University of Vermont as members of the Board of Trustees of the 7
62	62	University of Vermont and State Agricultural College and whose terms have 8
63	63	not expired, and their successors, and it shall be the duty of said nine Trustees 9
64	64	trustees to elect successors to fill vacancies occurring among their number 10
65	65	upon expiration of the terms of office of any of them or otherwise. The nine 11
66	66	Trustees trustees and their successors shall also constitute the Board of 12
67	67	Trustees of the University of Vermont. 13
68	68	One member shall be a member of the University of Vermont and State 14
69	69	Agricultural College faculty, elected by the faculty in an election conducted by 15
70	70	the Faculty Senate, to serve a four-year term commencing on March 1 in the 16
71	71	year of election. The faculty member shall have full voting rights. A vacancy 17
72	72	for any cause shall be filled by a vote of the faculty and the term of the person 18
73	73	so appointed to fill the vacancy shall expire on the next following last day of 19
74	74	February. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.198
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79	79	One member shall be a member of the University of Vermont and State 1
80	80	Agricultural College staff, appointed through a process ensuring broad 2
81	81	representation and alignment with the governance standards set for faculty 3
82	82	appointees. 4
83	83	Two members shall be students enrolled at the University of Vermont and 5
84	84	State Agricultural College. One student member shall be a full-time 6
85	85	undergraduate student and one student member shall be a full-time graduate 7
86	86	student. Their terms of office shall be two years. Prior to February 1, 1978, 8
87	87	the Associated Directors for the Appointment of the University of Vermont 9
88	88	and State Agricultural College Student Trustees, Incorporated shall select and 10
89	89	appoint one student for a term of one year and one student for a term of two 11
90	90	years, both of whom shall be enrolled as full-time undergraduate or full-time 12
91	91	graduate students. Annually thereafter, the Directors shall meet to select and 13
92	92	appoint one student trustee for a term of two years in accordance with the 14
93	93	provisions of this section. The Directors shall fill any vacancy occurring 15
94	94	among the student trustee members upon the expiration of the term of office of 16
95	95	any of them or otherwise. A student shall be eligible to serve as a Trustee 17
96	96	trustee, provided the student is a full-time undergraduate or full-time graduate 18
97	97	student matriculating in accordance with the degree qualifications and 19
98	98	requirements established by the University of Vermont and State Agricultural 20
99	99	College and if the student remains in that status throughout the length of the 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.198
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104	104	term of office. The term of office of a Student Trustee student trustee shall 1
105	105	begin on March 1 following the date of appointment, and the term of office 2
106	106	shall end the last day of February in the year of expiration. Any student 3
107	107	elected hereunder shall have reached the age of 18 years of age. 4
108	108	All Trustees trustees so appointed and elected as hereinbefore provided, 5
109	109	shall, together with his or her Excellency, the Governor of the State, and the 6
110	110	President, who shall be, ex officio, a member, constitute an entire Board of 7
111	111	Trustees of the corporation known as the University of Vermont and State 8
112	112	Agricultural College, who shall have the entire management and control of its 9
113	113	property and affairs, and in all things relating thereto, except in the elections to 10
114	114	fill vacancies, as aforesaid, shall act together jointly, as one entire Board of 11
115	115	Trustees;, provided, that all future elections or appointments to the Board of 12
116	116	Trustees shall be made with special reference to preventing any religious 13
117	117	denominational preponderance in the Board. The Board shall annually, at its 14
118	118	first regular meeting after the election of new trustees, elect one of its members 15
119	119	to serve as Chair. 16
120	120	Sec. 2. TRANSITION 17
121	121	(a) On or before July 31, 2025, new faculty and staff members of the Board 18
122	122	of Trustees of the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College shall 19
123	123	be elected or appointed, as applicable, under Sec. 1 of this act. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.198
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128	128	(b) The first year of service of these new members shall be a partial year 1
129	129	commencing on August 1, 2025 and ending on the last day of February 2026. 2
130	130	The remaining three years of each member’s term shall each be a full year. 3
131	131	Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4
132	132	This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 5