Bill Text: NJ A3988 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Reduces membership of Rutgers board of trustees and eliminates dual membership on Rutgers board of trustees and Rutgers board of governors.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-12-18 - Substituted by S2648 [A3988 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A3988-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman VINCENT PRIETO
District 32 (Bergen and Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Reduces membership of Rutgers board of trustees and eliminates dual membership on Rutgers board of trustees and Rutgers board of governors.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the board of trustees of Rutgers University and amending N.J.S.18A:65-15, N.J.S.18A:65-16, and N.J.S.18A:65-30.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. N.J.S.18A:65-15 is amended to read as follows:
18A:65-15. I. The membership of the board of trustees shall be classified as follows and consist of:
a. the president of the corporation, serving as an ex officio non-voting member;
b. [11] five public trustees, appointed and to be appointed by the Governor of the State, with the advice and consent of the Senate, [viz.,
i. five public trustees,] serving under section 4 of chapter 49 of the Laws of 1945 for five-year terms expiring respectively, one, two, three, four, and five years after June 30, 1956, whose respective successors shall be appointed upon the expiration of such terms and annually thereafter to serve five-year terms[; and
ii. six public trustees appointed governors under subsection b.i. of section 18A:65-14 and serving by virtue thereof for and during their respective initial and subsequent terms as governors];
c. not less than 12 nor more than 20 trustees who shall be alumni or alumnae of Rutgers, The State University, as may be determined from time to time by the board of trustees, elected by the board in accordance with such rules, regulations and schedules, and modifications thereof, as may be prepared and adopted from time to time by the board, the terms of such alumni trustees or alumnae trustees to be six years for full terms, with power in the board to provide for shorter or interim terms when deemed by it to be advisable.
d. Charter trustees:
i. in the number of trustees serving as such on August 31, 1956 without definite term, who shall continue to serve indefinitely; provided, that upon the occurrence of any vacancy among such charter trustees, no successor shall be elected to fill such vacancy until such time as the number of such trustees has been reduced below 25, and thereafter vacancies within that number shall be filled by the board subject to the following paragraph II; ii. two women elected by the board of trustees serving six-year terms expiring respectively on June 30, 1963 and 1965 and one woman elected by the board of trustees serving a five-year term expiring June 30, 1961, whose respective successors shall be elected by the board upon the expiration of such terms and thereafter to serve six-year terms.
II. All trustees elected or appointed for terms commencing on or after September 1, 1956, other than those serving [ex officio] pursuant to subsections I.a. and I.b.[i.] of this section, shall serve for terms of six years (subject to the provisions of subsection I.c. of this section and of subsection (a) of section 18A:65-16 ) , and may succeed themselves for not more than one additional term after having served one full six-year term.
III. The ex officio members of the board of trustees as constituted on August 31, 1956, pursuant to the charter, statutes, or resolutions of the board from time to time adopted, ceased to be such members on August 31, 1956, with the exception of the president of the corporation who continued as ex officio trustee and ex officio governor, without voting power as hereinabove provided and the Commissioner of Education who so continued until July 1, 1967.
IV. A member of the board of trustees appointed to the board of governors pursuant to subsection b.ii. of N.J.S.18A:65-14 shall cease being a member of the board of trustees immediately upon taking the oath of office as a member of the board of governors.
(cf: P.L.1994, c.48, s.178)
2. N.J.S.18A:65-16 is amended to read as follows:
18A:65-16. (a) The terms of all governors and trustees which are limited shall, unless otherwise expressly provided herein, commence on July 1 in the first year, and end on June 30 in the last year, of such term.
(b) In case a governor or a trustee is elected president and he thereby becomes a nonvoting governor or trustee ex officio, a vacancy in his prior office as governor or trustee shall thereby occur.
(c) In case a trustee is appointed a governor by the Governor of the State, [and he thereby becomes a trustee during his term as governor,] a vacancy in his prior office as trustee shall thereby occur.
(d) Any vacancy occurring during the term of any governor or trustee (other than by the expiration of his term) shall be filled for the unexpired term only, in the same manner and subject to the same provisions, as in the case of his appointment or election; subject, however, to the provisions of subsection I.d. of section 18A:65-15.
(cf: P.L.1994,c.48,s.179)
3. N.J.S.18A:65-30 is amended to read as follows:
18A:65-30. Each board shall have the power to appoint and regulate the duties, functions, powers and procedures of committees, standing or special, from its members and such advisory committees or bodies, as it may deem necessary or conducive to the efficient management and operation of the corporation and the university, consistent with this chapter and other applicable statutes. The board of governors may appoint trustees [who are not governors] to membership on its committees, without vote.
(cf: N.J.S.18A:65-30)
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
Under current law, the board of trustees of Rutgers University includes charter trustees, alumni trustees, and public trustees. Of the 11 public trustees appointed by the Governor, six of these are also members of the Rutgers board of governors. This bill removes from the board of trustees the six trustees who also serve on the Rutgers board of governors.
Under current law, N.J.S.18A:65-14, the Rutgers board of trustees appoints from among its members seven trustees to also sit on the board of governors. The bill provides that a trustee appointed by the board of trustees to sit on the board of governors will cease being a member of the board of trustees immediately upon taking the oath of office as a member of the board of governors. The resulting vacancy in the board of trustees will be filled in accordance with the provisions of existing law.
