BILL AS INTRODUCED S.238
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1 S.238
2 Introduced by Senator Westman
3 Referred to Committee on
4 Date:
5 Subject: Education; Vermont State Colleges; Board of Trustees
6 Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to eliminate two
7 legislative trustees on the Vermont State Colleges Corporation Board of
8 Trustees and replace them with one faculty trustee and one staff trustee.
9 An act relating to the Board of Trustees of the Vermont State Colleges
10 Corporation
11 It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
12 Sec. 1. 16 V.S.A. § 2172 is amended to read:
13 § 2172. TRUSTEES; APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES
14 (a) The Corporation shall be governed by a board of 15 trustees who shall
15 be appointed or elected as follows:
16 (1) Biennially, the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate,
17 shall appoint trustees to serve for four-year terms expiring on March 1 of the
18 year of the biennial session. Five trustees may be in office at one time under
19 this subdivision. In the event of any vacancy occurring between biennial
20 sessions in an office under this subdivision, the Governor, pursuant to 3 V.S.A.
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1 § 257, shall fill the vacancy, and the term of a person so appointed shall expire
2 on March 1 in the year of the next following biennial session.
3 (2)(A) One trustee shall be a student trustee:
4 (i) who is a matriculated student at an educational institution
5 operated by the Vermont State Colleges Corporation;
6 (ii) who is pursuing a degree program; and
7 (iii) who has reached the age of majority.
8 (B) The student trustee shall serve a one-year term expiring on June
9 1. The student trustee shall be appointed, and a vacancy may be filled, from
10 among those eligible students applying for the position by the decision of those
11 members of the steering committee of the Vermont State Colleges Student
12 Association who have been elected at large to that committee by the students at
13 their respective colleges. No student trustee may serve more than two
14 consecutive terms.
15 (3) Four Two trustees shall be legislative trustees who are members of
16 the General Assembly at the time of their election. Legislative trustees shall
17 serve four-year terms expiring on March 1 of the second year of the biennial
18 session, and they shall be elected by joint assembly of the Legislature.
19 Vacancies for any cause shall be filled by the General Assembly at its earliest
20 opportunity and the term of a person so appointed shall expire on March 1 of
21 the next even numbered year.
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1 (4) Four trustees shall be elected by the Board of Trustees to four-year
2 terms expiring on March 1. Vacancies for any cause shall be filled by the
3 remaining members of the Board of Trustees, and the term of the person so
4 appointed shall expire on the next following March 1.
5 (5) One trustee shall be a faculty member employed by the Vermont
6 State Colleges Corporation and appointed by the executive committee of the
7 union representing faculty to a four-year term expiring on August 1.
8 Vacancies for any cause shall be filled through an appointment by the
9 executive committee of the union representing faculty, and the term of the
10 person so appointed shall expire on the next following August 1.
11 (6) One trustee shall be a staff member employed by the Vermont State
12 Colleges Corporation. The staff trustee shall be appointed by the unions
13 representing staff. Vacancies for any cause shall be filled through an
14 appointment by the unions representing staff, and the term of the person so
15 appointed shall expire on the next following August 1.
16 ***
17 (d)(1) The Board of Trustees, after notice and a hearing, may remove a
18 trustee for incompetency, failure to discharge duties, malfeasance, illegal acts,
19 or other case inimical to the welfare of the Corporation.
20 ***
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1 (3) In the event of a vacancy occurring under this subsection, the
2 Governor or the Board appointing or electing authority of the removed trustee,
3 as applicable, shall fill the vacancy pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.
4 Sec. 2. TRANSITION
5 On or before August 1, 2024, the two longest-serving legislative trustees
6 shall be replaced by one faculty trustee and one staff trustee in accordance with
7 Sec. 1 of this act.
8 Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE
9 This act shall take effect on July 1, 2024.
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Statutes affected: As Introduced: 16-2172