HB1800: Higher educational institutions, public; transparency, lobbying contracts.

Legislative Summary

Public institutions of higher education; transparency. Imposes several requirements on governing boards of public institutions of higher education relating to transparency, including requirements to (i) report by September 1 of each year to the Chairmen of the House Committees on Appropriations and Education and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health (a) the number of executive staff members, including all administrative staff directly reporting to the chief executive officer of such institution, employed by such institution or any educational foundation associated with such institution and the salary and compensation of each such executive staff member and (b) the total value of any contract with any outside individual or entity to provide lobbying services for the institution; (ii) record video of each meeting of the full board and its committees and make publicly available on the institution's website in a position of prominence a link that permits any member of the public to livestream each meeting of the full board and its committees and, within 10 business days after the date of any meeting of the full board or any of its committees, view video recordings for each such meeting; and (iii) prior to any vote to enter into or renew a contract for the employment of the chief executive officer of the institution, hold a public meeting to provide an opportunity for written, virtual, and in-person public comment on such contract at least 120 days prior to any such meeting at which it will vote to enter into or renew such contract and provide notice of such public meeting in accordance with relevant law. The bill also requires each public institution of higher education to make publicly available on the institution's website in a position of prominence and present annually to the governing board of the institution an annual report regarding foundations associated with the institution setting forth foundation expenses that includes the percentage of expenditures used for government relations and lobbying activities and compensation of the chief executive officer and the total expenditures used for executive or administrative compensation for each department. Public institutions of higher education; transparency. Imposes several requirements on governing boards of public institutions of higher education relating to transparency, including requirements to (i) report by September 1 of each year to the Chairmen of the House Committees on Appropriations and Education and the Senate Committees on Finance and Appropriations and Education and Health (a) the number of executive staff members, including all administrative staff directly reporting to the chief executive officer of such institution, employed by such institution or any educational foundation associated with such institution and the salary and compensation of each such executive staff member and (b) the total value of any contract with any outside individual or entity to provide lobbying services for the institution; (ii) record video of each meeting of the full board and its committees and make publicly available on the institution's website in a position of prominence a link that permits any member of the public to livestream each meeting of the full board and its committees and, within 10 business days after the date of any meeting of the full board or any of its committees, view video recordings for each such meeting; and (iii) prior to any vote to enter into or renew a contract for the employment of the chief executive officer of the institution, hold a public meeting to provide an opportunity for written, virtual, and in-person public comment on such contract at least 120 days prior to any such meeting at which it will vote to enter into or renew such contract and provide notice of such public meeting in accordance with relevant law. The bill also requires each public institution of higher education to make publicly available on the institution's website in a position of prominence and present annually to the governing board of the institution an annual report regarding foundations associated with the institution setting forth foundation expenses that includes the percentage of expenditures used for government relations and lobbying activities and compensation of the chief executive officer and the total expenditures used for executive or administrative compensation for each department.