Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

Vermont House Bill H0316 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	BILL AS INTRODUCED H.316
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5	5	VT LEG #379630 v.2
6	6	H.316 1
7	7	Introduced by Representative Casey of Montpelier 2
8	8	Referred to Committee on 3
9	9	Date: 4
10	10	Subject: Education; Vermont State Colleges Corporation; University of 5
11	11	Vermont; board of trustees; shared governance 6
12	12	Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to (1) eliminate 7
13	13	two legislative trustees from the Board of Trustees of the Vermont State 8
14	14	Colleges Corporation and add one faculty trustee and one staff trustee, to serve 9
15	15	four-year terms; and (2) add one faculty and one staff trustee to the Board of 10
16	16	Trustees of the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, to serve 11
17	17	four-year terms. 12
18	18	An act relating to the governance of the Vermont State Colleges 13
19	19	Corporation and the University of Vermont 14
20	20	It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 15
21	21	* * * Vermont State Colleges Corporation Governance * * * 16
22	22	Sec. 1. 16 V.S.A. § 2172 is amended to read: 17
23	23	§ 2172. TRUSTEES; APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES 18
24	24	(a) The Corporation shall be governed by a board of 15 17 trustees who 19
25	25	shall be appointed or elected as follows: 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.316
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30	30	(1) Biennially, the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, 1
31	31	shall appoint trustees to serve for four-year terms expiring March 1 of the year 2
32	32	of the biennial session. Five trustees may be in office at one time under this 3
33	33	subdivision. In the event of any vacancy occurring between biennial sessions 4
34	34	in an office under this subdivision, the Governor, pursuant to 3 V.S.A. § 257, 5
35	35	shall fill the vacancy, and the term of a person so appointed shall expire on 6
36	36	March 1 in the year of the next following biennial session. 7
37	37	(2)(A) One trustee shall be a student trustee: 8
38	38	(i) who is a matriculated student at an educational institution 9
39	39	operated by the Vermont State Colleges Corporation; 10
40	40	(ii) who is pursuing a degree program; and 11
41	41	(iii) who has reached the age of majority. 12
42	42	(B) The student trustee shall serve a one-year term expiring on June 13
43	43	1. The student trustee shall be appointed, and a vacancy may be filled, from 14
44	44	among those eligible students applying for the position by the decision of those 15
45	45	members of the steering committee of the Vermont State Colleges Student 16
46	46	Association who have been elected at large to that committee by the students at 17
47	47	their respective colleges. No student trustee may serve more than two 18
48	48	consecutive terms. 19
49	49	(3) Four trustees shall be legislative trustees who are members of the 20
50	50	General Assembly at the time of their election. Legislative trustees shall serve 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.316
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55	55	four-year terms expiring on March 1 of the second year of the biennial session, 1
56	56	and they shall be elected by joint assembly of the Legislature. Vacancies for 2
57	57	any cause shall be filled by the General Assembly at its earliest opportunity 3
58	58	and the term of a person so appointed shall expire on March 1 of the next even 4
59	59	numbered year. 5
60	60	(4) Four trustees shall be elected by the Board of Trustees to four-year 6
61	61	terms expiring on March 1. Vacancies for any cause shall be filled by the 7
62	62	remaining members of the Board of Trustees, and the term of the person so 8
63	63	appointed shall expire on the next following March 1. 9
64	64	(5) One trustee shall be a faculty member employed by the Vermont 10
65	65	State Colleges Corporation and appointed by the executive committee of the 11
66	66	union or unions representing faculty to a four-year term expiring on August 1. 12
67	67	Vacancies for any cause shall be filled through an appointment by the 13
68	68	executive committee of the union or unions representing faculty, and the term 14
69	69	of the person so appointed shall expire on the next following August 1. 15
70	70	(6) One trustee shall be a staff member employed by the Vermont State 16
71	71	Colleges Corporation. The staff trustee shall be appointed by the union or 17
72	72	unions representing staff. Vacancies for any cause shall be filled through an 18
73	73	appointment by the union or unions representing staff and the term of the 19
74	74	person so appointed shall expire on the next following August 1. 20
75	75	* * * 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.316
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80	80	(d)(1) The Board of Trustees, after notice and a hearing, may remove a 1
81	81	trustee for incompetency, failure to discharge duties, malfeasance, illegal acts, 2
82	82	or other cases inimical to the welfare of the Corporation. 3
83	83	* * * 4
84	84	(3) In the event of a vacancy occurring under this subsection, the 5
85	85	Governor or the Board appointing or electing authority of the removed trustee, 6
86	86	as applicable, shall fill the vacancy pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. 7
87	87	Sec. 2. VERMONT STATE COLLEGES CORPORATION; TRANSITION 8
88	88	On or before August 1, 2025, the one faculty trustee and one staff trustee 9
89	89	shall be appointed in accordance with Sec. 1 of this act. 10
90	90	* * * University of Vermont and State Agricultural College * * * 11
91	91	Sec. 3. 16 App. V.S.A. § 1-2 is amended to read: 12
92	92	§ 1-2. BOARD OF TRUSTEES; MEMBERSHIP, TERMS OF SERVICE; 13
93	93	PRESIDING CHAIR 14
94	94	The Board of Trustees of the University of Vermont and State Agricultural 15
95	95	College shall be composed of 25 27 members, whose term of office shall be six 16
96	96	years, except as to those who are members ex officio and to those who are 17
97	97	faculty, staff, and student members. Three members shall be appointed by the 18
98	98	Governor with the consent of the Senate. During the legislative session of 19
99	99	1955, the Governor shall appoint one member for a term of two years, one 20
100	100	member for a term of four years, and one member for a term of six years and it 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.316
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105	105	shall be the duty of the Governor during the session of the Legislature prior to 1
106	106	expiration of the term of office of any of the members to appoint for the term 2
107	107	of six years a successor to the member whose term is expiring. The terms of 3
108	108	office of the Trustees shall expire on the last day of February in the respective 4
109	109	years of expiration, and the terms of office of their successors shall thereafter 5
110	110	begin on March 1 and expire on the last day of February. 6
111	111	Nine members shall be those who have been heretofore elected by the 7
112	112	Legislature as members of the Board of Trustees of the University of Vermont 8
113	113	and State Agricultural College, and whose terms have not expired, and their 9
114	114	successors, and it shall be the duty of the Legislature at its session during 10
115	115	which the terms of office of any class of the members expire to elect three 11
116	116	successor members for terms of six years. The terms shall commence on 12
117	117	March 1 in the year of election. The nine Trustees and their successors shall 13
118	118	also constitute the Board of Trustees of the Vermont Agricultural College. 14
119	119	Nine members shall be those who have been heretofore elected on behalf of 15
120	120	the University of Vermont as members of the Board of Trustees of the 16
121	121	University of Vermont and State Agricultural College and whose terms have 17
122	122	not expired, and their successors, and it shall be the duty of said nine Trustees 18
123	123	to elect successors to fill vacancies occurring among their number upon 19
124	124	expiration of the terms of office of any of them or otherwise. The nine 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.316
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128	128	VT LEG #379630 v.2
129	129	Trustees and their successors shall also constitute the Board of Trustees of the 1
130	130	University of Vermont. 2
131	131	One member shall be faculty employed by the University of Vermont and 3
132	132	State Agricultural College and elected by the faculty to a four-year term 4
133	133	expiring on August 1. The Faculty Senate shall oversee all faculty trustee 5
134	134	elections, which shall be open to all faculty. Vacancies for any cause shall be 6
135	135	filled through an election, and the term of the person so elected shall expire on 7
136	136	the next following August 1. 8
137	137	One member shall be staff employed by the University of Vermont and 9
138	138	State Agricultural College and elected by the staff to a four-year term expiring 10
139	139	on August 1. The Faculty Senate shall oversee all staff trustee elections, which 11
140	140	shall be open to all staff. Vacancies for any cause shall be filled through an 12
141	141	election, and the term of the person so elected shall expire on the next 13
142	142	following August 1. 14
143	143	Two members shall be students enrolled at the University of Vermont and 15
144	144	State Agricultural College. Their terms of office shall be two years. Prior to 16
145	145	February 1, 1978, the Associated Directors for the Appointment of the 17
146	146	University of Vermont and State Agricultural College Student Trustees, 18
147	147	Incorporated shall select and appoint one student for a term of one year and 19
148	148	one student for a term of two years, both of whom shall be enrolled as full-time 20
149	149	undergraduate or full-time graduate students. Annually thereafter, the 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.316
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154	154	Directors shall meet to select and appoint one student trustee for a term of two 1
155	155	years in accordance with the provisions of this section. The Directors shall fill 2
156	156	any vacancy occurring among the student trustee members upon the expiration 3
157	157	of the term of office of any of them or otherwise. A student shall be eligible to 4
158	158	serve as a Trustee, provided the student is a full-time undergraduate or full-5
159	159	time graduate student matriculating in accordance with the degree 6
160	160	qualifications and requirements established by the University of Vermont and 7
161	161	State Agricultural College and if the student remains in that status throughout 8
162	162	the length of the term of office. The term of office of a Student Trustee shall 9
163	163	begin on March 1 following the date of appointment, and the term of office 10
164	164	shall end the last day of February in the year of expiration. Any student 11
165	165	elected hereunder shall have reached the age of 18. 12
166	166	All Trustees so appointed and elected as hereinbefore provided, shall, 13
167	167	together with his or her Excellency, the Governor of the State, and the 14
168	168	President, who shall be, ex officio, a member, constitute an entire Board of 15
169	169	Trustees of the corporation known as the University of Vermont and State 16
170	170	Agricultural College, who shall have the entire management and control of its 17
171	171	property and affairs, and in all things relating thereto, except in the elections to 18
172	172	fill vacancies, as aforesaid, shall act together jointly, as one entire Board of 19
173	173	Trustees; provided, that all future elections or appointments to the Board of 20
174	174	Trustees shall be made with special reference to preventing any religious 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.316
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179	179	denominational preponderance in the Board. The Board shall annually, at its 1
180	180	first regular meeting after the election of new trustees, elect one of its members 2
181	181	to serve as Chair. 3
182	182	Sec. 4. UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT AND STATE AGRICULTURAL 4
183	183	COLLEGE; TRANSITION 5
184	184	On or before August 1, 2025, new faculty members of the Board of Trustees 6
185	185	of the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College shall be elected 7
186	186	pursuant to Sec. 1 of this act. 8
187	187	* * * Effective Date * * * 9
188	188	Sec. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE 10
189	189	This act shall take effect on passage. 11