Bill Text: IA SF41 | 2017-2018 | 87th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to the establishment of tenure systems at public postsecondary educational institutions.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-01-12 - Subcommittee: Edler, Chelgren, and Dvorsky. S.J. 84. [SF41 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2017-SF41-Introduced.html

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Senate File 41 - Introduced




                                 SENATE FILE       
                                 BY  ZAUN

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to the establishment of tenure systems at
  2    public postsecondary educational institutions.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
    TLSB 1229XS (3) 87
    kh/rj

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 260C.36, Code 2017, is amended by adding
  1  2 the following new subsection:
  1  3    NEW SUBSECTION.  5.  This section shall not be construed to
  1  4 authorize the board of directors of the community college to
  1  5 establish a tenure system for any employee of the community
  1  6 college.
  1  7    Sec. 2.  Section 262.9, Code 2017, is amended by adding the
  1  8 following new subsection:
  1  9    NEW SUBSECTION.  39.  Prohibit, at each institution of
  1 10 higher learning governed by the state board of regents,
  1 11 the establishment or continuation of a tenure system for
  1 12 any employee of the institution.  Acceptable grounds for
  1 13 termination of employment of any member of the faculty
  1 14 shall include but not be limited to just cause, program
  1 15 discontinuance, and financial exigency.  Each institution of
  1 16 higher learning governed by the board shall adopt a written
  1 17 statement enumerating employment agreements, annual performance
  1 18 evaluations of all faculty members, minimum standards of good
  1 19 practice, standards for review and discipline of faculty
  1 20 members, and policies with regard to dismissal for cause,
  1 21 program discontinuance, and financial exigency.  The dean of a
  1 22 college under the authority of the state board of regents and
  1 23 the president of the institution of higher learning governed by
  1 24 the state board shall employ faculty as necessary to carry out
  1 25 the academic duties and responsibilities of the college.
  1 26    Sec. 3.  Section 262.12, Code 2017, is amended to read as
  1 27 follows:
  1 28    262.12  Committees and administrative offices under board.
  1 29    The board of regents shall also have and exercise all
  1 30 the powers necessary and convenient for the effective
  1 31 administration of its office and of the institutions under
  1 32 its control, and to this end may create such committees,
  1 33 offices and agencies from its own members or others, and employ
  1 34 persons to staff the same, fix their compensation and tenure
  1 35  and delegate thereto, or to the administrative officers and
  2  1 faculty of the institutions under its control, such part of the
  2  2 authority and duties vested by statute in the board, and shall
  2  3 formulate and establish such rules, outline such policies and
  2  4 prescribe such procedures therefor, all as may be desired or
  2  5 determined by the board as recorded in their minutes.
  2  6    Sec. 4.  Section 262.82, unnumbered paragraph 2, Code 2017,
  2  7 is amended to read as follows:
  2  8    The board of regents shall also establish a program to create
  2  9 faculty opportunities for women educators at the universities
  2 10 under the board's control. The program shall include, but
  2 11 is not limited to, the creation of faculty positions in
  2 12 targeted shortage areas. The board of regents shall also
  2 13 develop and implement, in consultation with appropriate faculty
  2 14 representatives, tenure, promotion, and hiring policies that
  2 15 recognize the unique needs of faculty members who are principal
  2 16 caregivers to dependents.
  2 17                           EXPLANATION
  2 18 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  2 19 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  2 20    This bill directs the state board of regents to prohibit
  2 21 the establishment or continuation of a tenure system at the
  2 22 regents universities for any employee of a regents university,
  2 23 and provides that the provision in the Code which authorizes
  2 24 community college administrations to establish quality faculty
  2 25 planning committees shall not be construed to authorize a
  2 26 community college to establish a tenure system for any employee
  2 27 of the community college.
  2 28    The bill provides that acceptable grounds for termination
  2 29 of employment of any member of a regents university's faculty
  2 30 shall include but not be limited to just cause, program
  2 31 discontinuance, and financial exigency.  Each university is
  2 32 directed to adopt a written statement enumerating employment
  2 33 agreements, annual performance evaluations of all faculty
  2 34 members, minimum standards of good practice, standards for
  2 35 review and discipline of faculty members, and policies with
  3  1 regard to dismissal for cause, program discontinuance, and
  3  2 financial exigency.  The bill provides that each dean of a
  3  3 college at a regents university and the president of the
  3  4 university shall employ faculty as necessary to carry out the
  3  5 academic duties and responsibilities of the college.
  3  6    The bill makes corresponding changes in the Code.
       LSB 1229XS (3) 87
       kh/rj