EDUCATION CODE
TITLE 3. HIGHER EDUCATION
SUBTITLE D. THE TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
CHAPTER 86. TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY
SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 86.01. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
(1) "University" means Texas A & M University.
(2) "Board" means the board of directors of The Texas A & M University System.
Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3202, ch. 1024, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1971.
Sec. 86.02. TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY. Texas A & M University is an institution of higher education located in the city of College Station. It is under the management and control of the board of directors of The Texas A & M University System.
Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3202, ch. 1024, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1971.
Sec. 86.03. LEADING OBJECT. The leading object of the university shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies, and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanical arts, in such manner as the legislature may prescribe, in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life.
Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3202, ch. 1024, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1971.
SUBCHAPTER B. POWERS AND DUTIES OF BOARD
Sec. 86.11. APPOINTMENT OF PRESIDENT, OFFICERS, PROFESSORS. The board shall appoint the president, the professors, and other officers it deems proper to keep the university in successful operation. It may abolish any office it deems unnecessary.
Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3203, ch. 1024, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1971.
Sec. 86.12. ENTOMOLOGIST. The president and board shall employ an expert entomologist, one or more, as may be deemed necessary, whose duty it shall be to devise, if possible, means of destroying the Mexican boll weevil, boll worm, caterpillar, sharpshooter, chinch bug, peach bug, fly and worm and other insect pests and to perform the duties of professor of entomology in the university.
Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3203, ch. 1024, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1971.
Sec. 86.13. CIVIL ENGINEER; SOIL CONSERVATION DEMONSTRATIONS. The board shall employ a graduate civil engineer of the university who has a practical and scientific knowledge of the conservation of moisture and soil fertility, who understands the practical art of terracing farmland to preserve the moisture and soil fertility and to prevent the washing away and the destruction of the properties of the soil, and who has had five years' actual experience in terracing farmlands in some southern state. He shall make his headquarters at the university, where he shall instruct the students by lecture and practical demonstration in the best method of such conservation and terracing so as to enable them to do the work successfully. He shall devote one-half of his time to such instruction, and the other half shall be spent in field work, giving practical demonstrations in terracing to farmers' institutes and other farmers' organizations; and the president of the university shall require him to go over the state on the application of farmers desiring expert instruction in terracing farmlands and in conserving the moisture and soil fertility. He shall be furnished with the necessary instruments and equipment for the demonstration and instruction.
Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3203, ch. 1024, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1971.
Sec. 86.14. SPECIAL SUMMER SCHOOL. The board shall provide for a special summer school of at least two months each year for the training of special students who shall be admitted without an entrance examination, and may make provisions for the summer school, purchase the necessary equipment, and generally do and perform all acts necessary to establish and maintain the summer school.
Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3203, ch. 1024, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1971.
Sec. 86.15. SUMMER SESSIONS; ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURE FOR TEACHERS. The board shall require the teaching of elementary agriculture for teachers in the summer sessions.
Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3203, ch. 1024, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1971.
Sec. 86.16. FIREMEN'S TRAINING SCHOOL. (a) The Texas A&M University System shall conduct and maintain a firemen's training school through the Texas Engineering Extension Service as a unit of the university system in the manner deemed expedient and advisable by the system's board of regents. The Texas Engineering Extension Service shall serve as the recognized statewide fire and rescue training agency liaison to the National Fire Academy. In their capacity as the National Fire Academy liaison, the extension service shall distribute National Fire Academy student manuals on request to associations, fire departments, state agencies, and institutions of higher education which meet National Fire Academy qualifications.
(b) The firemen's training school advisory board is composed of:
(1) three members of the staff of the system appointed by the system's board of regents, one of whom shall be the director of the engineering extension service who serves ex officio as the chairman of the advisory board;
(2) four members or representatives of the State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas or its successor, appointed by the president or other managing officer of that association;
(3) one person who is fire protection personnel as defined by Section 419.021, Government Code, and who is the head of a training division for the fire department of a political subdivision, appointed by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection; and
(4) one fire chief appointed by the president or other managing officer of the Texas Fire Chiefs Association or its successor.
(c) The advisory board shall confer with and advise the engineering extension service with reference to the organization of the school, the purchasing of equipment, the curriculum and program, and the conduct and management of the school.
(d) Expenditures for the per diem expenses of members of the advisory board and all other necessary expenses of the school shall be made only on the order of the system's board of regents, and no warrants shall be paid unless also approved in writing by the director of the engineering extension service.
Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3203, ch. 1024, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1971. Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 628, Sec. 6, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 241, Sec. 1, eff. May 22, 1993.
Sec. 86.18. GRADUATE PROGRAMS; CONTRACTS WITH BAYLOR UNIVERSITY. The university may enter into contracts and agreements with Baylor University for joint participation in graduate programs that may be designed to benefit the state.
Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3204, ch. 1024, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1971.
Sec. 86.20. AIRPORT. The university may own and operate an airport, may accept federal aid and money for those purposes, and may enter into sponsor's assurance agreements with the federal government. It may operate the airport separately or in cooperation with a city, a county, the state, or the federal government, with the approval of the appropriate governing body, but without any expense to or liability against the state in any manner.
Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3204, ch. 1024, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1971.
Sec. 86.21. PERPETUAL FUND. The money arising from the sale of the 180,000 acres of land donated to this state by the United States under the provisions of an Act of Congress passed on the second day of July, 1862, and an amended Act of Congress of July 23, 1866, shall constitute a perpetual fund, under the conditions and restrictions imposed by the above recited Acts, for the benefit of Texas A & M University; and the investment of the money, heretofore made in the bonds of the state, when those bonds are redeemed, may be made by the board in United States government securities in furtherance of the interests of the university and in accordance with the terms on which it was received.
Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3204, ch. 1024, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1971.
Sec. 86.22. ACCRUED INTEREST. The interest heretofore collected by the State Board of Education in accordance with the provisions of the act of August 21, 1876, due at the end of the fiscal year of 1876, on the bonds belonging to the Agricultural and Mechanical College and invested in six percent state bonds, shall also constitute a part of the perpetual fund of the university until the legislature shall otherwise provide. The state board shall collect the semiannual interest on the bonds as it becomes due, and place the money in the state treasury to the credit of the fund. The interest on all such bonds is set apart exclusively for the use of the university and shall be drawn from the treasury by the board of directors on vouchers audited by the board, or approved by the governor and attested by the secretary of the board. On the vouchers being filed with the comptroller, he shall draw his warrant on the state treasury as necessary to pay the directors, professors and officers of the university.
Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3205, ch. 1024, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1971. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1423, Sec. 5.23, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.
Sec. 86.23. NAME OF SYSTEM AND COMPONENT INSTITUTIONS AND AGENCIES. (a) The board by resolution may change the name of the system or of any institution, agency, or service under the control and management of the board.
(b) This section does not apply to:
(1) Tarleton State University; or
(2) Prairie View A&M University.
Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 132, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 26, 1991.
Amended by:
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 1234 (H.B. 1409), Sec. 1, eff. June 18, 2005.
Sec. 86.24. ESTABLISHMENT OF A CEMETERY. (a) The board may dedicate land owned by The Texas A&M University System within the Bush Presidential Library site to be used as a cemetery.
(b) Subchapter C, Chapter 711, Health and Safety Code, does not apply to a cemetery established under this section.
(c) Appropriations from the general revenue fund may not be used to establish or operate a cemetery under this section.
Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 120, Sec. 1, eff. May 17, 1995.
SUBCHAPTER C. TEXAS REAL ESTATE RESEARCH CENTER
Sec. 86.51. TEXAS REAL ESTATE RESEARCH CENTER. The Texas Real Estate Research Center is established at Texas A&M University. The operating budget, staffing, and activities of the center shall be approved by the board of regents of The Texas A&M University System.
Added by Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3342, ch. 1024, art. 2, Sec. 12, eff. Sept. 1, 1971. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 319, Sec. 1, eff. June 11, 1987.
Amended by:
Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 94 (S.B. 1577), Sec. 2, eff. January 1, 2024.
Sec. 86.52. REAL ESTATE RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE. (a) The Real Estate Research Advisory Committee is created.
(b) The advisory committee is composed of nine persons appointed by the governor, without regard to the race, creed, sex, religion, or national origin of the appointee and with the advice and consent of the senate, with the following representation:
(1) six members shall be real estate brokers, licensed as such for at least five years preceding the date of their appointment, who are representative of each of the following real estate specialties:
(A) one member shall be principally engaged in real estate brokerage;
(B) one member shall be principally engaged in real estate financing;
(C) one member shall be principally engaged in the ownership or construction of real estate improvements;
(D) one member shall be principally engaged in the ownership, development or management of residential properties;
(E) one member shall be principally engaged in the ownership, development or management of commercial properties; and
(F) one member shall be principally engaged in the ownership, development or management of industrial properties;
(2) three members shall be representatives of the general public;
(3) members representative of the general public who are appointed after the effective date of this Act shall not be licensed real estate brokers or salesmen and shall not have, other than as consumers, a financial interest in the practice of a licensed real estate broker or salesman; and
(4) it is grounds for removal from the advisory committee if:
(A) a broker member of the committee ceases to be a licensed real estate broker; or
(B) a public member of the committee appointed after the effective date of this Act or a person related to the member within the second degree by consanguinity or within the second degree by affinity, as determined under Chapter 573, Government Code, acquires a real estate license or a financial interest in the practice of a licensed real estate broker or salesman.
(c) Members of the advisory committee hold office for staggered terms of six years, with the terms of three members expiring on January 31 of each odd-numbered year. Any vacancy shall be filled by appointment for the unexpired portion of the term. Each member shall serve until the member's successor is qualified.
(d) The presiding officer of the Texas Real Estate Commission, or a member of the commission designated by the presiding officer, shall serve as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the advisory committee.
(e) The advisory committee shall elect a presiding officer and an assistant presiding officer from the committee's membership, and each officer shall serve for a term of one year.
(f) The advisory committee shall meet not less than semiannually, and in addition on call of the committee's presiding officer, on petition of any six of the committee's members, or on call of the executive director of the center or the executive director's designated representative.
(g) The advisory committee shall review and approve proposals to be submitted to the board of directors of The Texas A & M University System relating to staffing and general policies including priority ranking of research studies and educational and other studies.
(h) The executive director of the center or the executive director's designated representative shall submit to the advisory committee in advance of each fiscal year a budget for expenditures of all funds provided for the center in a form that is related to the proposed schedule of activities for the review and approval of the advisory committee. The proposed budget approved by the advisory committee shall be forwarded with the comments of the committee to the board of directors of The Texas A&M University System prior to its action on the proposed budget, and the board of directors of The Texas A&M University System shall not authorize any expenditure that has not had the prior approval of the advisory committee.
(i) The president of Texas A&M University or the president's designated representative shall submit to the advisory committee for its review and approval a research agenda at the beginning of each fiscal year and shall continuously inform the advisory committee of changes in its substance and scheduling.
(j) Each member of the advisory committee is entitled to a per diem as provided in the center's budget for each day that the member engages in the business of the committee. A member is entitled to compensation for transportation and travel expenses, including expenses for meals and lodging as provided in the center's budget.
(k) Except as provided by Subsection (l), the advisory committee is subject to Chapter 551, Government Code, Chapter 2001, Government Code, and the provisions of Chapter 572, Government Code.
(l) The advisory committee may conduct a meeting by conference call or virtually through a third-party Internet application as long as members of the general public are able to participate in the meeting, and any discussions during the meeting, if the meeting is not permitted to be conducted as a closed meeting under Chapter 551, Government Code.
(m) The financial transactions of the center are subject to audit by the state auditor in accordance with Chapter 321, Government Code.
Added by Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3342, ch. 1024, art. 2, Sec. 12, eff. Sept 1, 1971. Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 3251, ch. 856, Sec. 1, 2, eff. June 18, 1981; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 584, Sec. 87, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 561, Sec. 13, eff. Aug. 26, 1991; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 5.95(27), (39), (63), (81), eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 641, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.
Amended by:
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1083 (S.B. 1179), Sec. 25(22), eff. June 17, 2011.
Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 94 (S.B. 1577), Sec. 3, eff. January 1, 2024.
Sec. 86.53. PURPOSES, OBJECTIVES, AND DUTIES OF THE CENTER. The purposes, objectives, and duties of the center are as follows:
(1) to conduct studies in all areas that relate directly or indirectly to real estate and/or urban or rural economics and to publish and disseminate the findings and result of the studies;
(2) to assist the teaching program in real estate offered by the colleges and universities in the State of Texas when requested to do so, and to award scholarships and establish real estate chairs when funds are available;
(3) to supply material to the Texas Real Estate Commission for the preparation of the examinations for real estate salesmen and brokers, if requested to do so by the commission;
(4) to develop and from time to time revise and update materials for use in the extension courses in real estate offered by the universities and colleges in the State of Texas when requested to do so;
(5) to assist the Texas Real Estate Commission in developing standards for the accreditation of vocational schools and other teaching agencies giving courses in the field of real estate, and standards for the approval of courses in the field of real estate, as and when requested to do so by the commission;
(6) to make studies of and recommend changes in state statutes and municipal ordinances, providing however that no staff member of the center shall directly contact legislators or locally elected officials concerning the recommendations except to provide a factual response to an inquiry as to the method of research or nature of the findings;
(7) provided and except, however, that those conducting such research and studies shall periodically review their progress with the advisory committee or its designated representative, and the results of any research project, or study, shall not be published or disseminated until it has been reviewed and approved in writing by the advisory committee or its designated representative; and
(8) to prepare information of consumer interest describing the functions of the center and to make the information available to the general public and appropriate state agencies.
Added by Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3342, ch. 1024, art. 2, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1971. Amended by Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 3252, ch. 856, Sec. 4, eff. June 18, 1981.
Sec. 86.54. PUBLICATION CHARGES; GIFTS AND GRANTS. The center may make a charge for its publications and may receive gifts and grants from foundations, individuals, and other sources for the benefit of the research center.
Added by Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3342, ch. 1024, art. 2, Sec. 12, eff. Sept. 1, 1971.
Sec. 86.55. ANNUAL REPORT. A report of the activities and accomplishments of the center shall be published annually.
Added by Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3342, ch. 1024, art. 2, Sec. 12, eff. Sept. 1, 1971.
SUBCHAPTER E. OTHER COMPONENTS OF UNIVERSITY
Sec. 86.81. CENTER FOR TEXAS BEACHES AND SHORES. (a) The Center for Texas Beaches and Shores is a component of Texas A&M University.
(b) The center is under the management and direction of the board.
(c) The center shall:
(1) research problems at coastal conservation areas;
(2) study the effects of nature and humans on coastal conservation areas;
(3) develop ways to control the loss of shoreline in coastal conservation areas and to avoid ecological damage to coastal conservation areas using innovative technologies; and
(4) cooperate and consult with the General Land Office and other state agencies to manage coastal conservation areas.
(d) The board may employ personnel for the center, including experts in coastal engineering, marine geology, ecology, biology, and economics.
(e) The board may accept a gift or grant from any public or private source for the benefit of the center.
(f) In this section:
(1) "Center" means the Center for Texas Beaches and Shores.
(2) "Coastal conservation areas" has the meaning assigned by Section 33.052(d), Natural Resources Code.
Added by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 832, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 30, 1993.
Sec. 86.82. INSTITUTE FOR A DISASTER RESILIENT TEXAS. (a) In this section, "institute" means the Institute for a Disaster Resilient Texas.
(b) The Institute for a Disaster Resilient Texas is a component of Texas A&M University.
(c) The institute is under the management and direction of the board.
(d) The institute shall:
(1) develop data analytics tools to support disaster planning, mitigation, response, and recovery by the state, its political subdivisions, and the public;
(2) create and maintain web-based analytical and visual tools to communicate disaster risks and ways to reduce those risks, including tools that work on the level of individual parcels of land;
(3) provide evidence-based information and solutions to aid in the formation of state and local partnerships to support disaster planning, mitigation, response, and recovery;
(4) collect, display, and communicate comprehensive flood-related information, including applicable updated inundation maps, for use by decision-makers and the public; and
(5) collaborate with institutions of higher education, as that term is defined by Section 61.003, state agencies, local governments, and other political subdivisions to accomplish the purposes of this section.
(e) The institute may employ personnel, including experts in planning, engineering, hydrology, ecology, and economics.
(f) The institute may accept a gift or grant from any public or private source for the benefit of the institute.
Added by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1118 (H.B. 2345), Sec. 1, eff. June 14, 2019.