1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to higher education; changing the method for
1.3 	recommending regent candidates to the legislature;
1.4 	amending Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 137.0245,
1.5 	subdivisions 1, 4; proposing coding for new law in
1.6 	Minnesota Statutes, chapter 137.
1.7 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.8 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 137.0245,
1.9 	subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.10 		Subdivision 1.Establishment.  A Regent Candidate
1.11 	Advisory Council is established to assist the legislature in
1.12 	determining criteria for, and identifying and recruiting
1.13 	qualified candidates for membership on the Board of Regents and
1.14 	making recommendations to the governor.

1.15 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 137.0245,
1.16 	subdivision 4, is amended to read:
1.17 		Subd. 4.Recommendations.  The advisory council shall
1.18 	recommend at least two and not more than four candidates.  By
1.19 	March 15 February 1 of each odd-numbered year, the advisory
1.20 	council shall submit its recommendations to the president of the
1.21 	senate and the speaker of the house of representatives.  The
1.22 	legislature shall not be bound by these recommendations governor
1.23 	who must nominate a slate of candidates and present it to the
1.24 	legislature under section 137.0247.

1.25 	Sec. 3. [137.0247] LEGISLATIVE ELECTION OF REGENTS.
1.26 		Subdivision 1.Governor nomination. Within 30 days of
2.1 	receiving the recommendations of the Regent Candidate Advisory
2.2 	Council, the governor must submit a slate of regent candidates
2.3 	to the legislature that names one candidate for each vacancy.
2.4 	The governor may name candidates from the recommendations of the
2.5 	advisory council, or may select a candidate without regard to
2.6 	the recommendations but according to sections 137.023 and
2.7 	137.024.
2.8 		Subd. 2.Election by the legislature. In each
2.9 	odd-numbered year, the legislature must elect regents as
2.10 	required under the Minnesota Constitution, article XII, section
2.11 	3, from a slate of candidates submitted by the governor under
2.12 	this section.  If the legislature fails to fill one or more of
2.13 	the open positions, the governor has 15 days from the date of
2.14 	the joint convention to submit a new slate of candidates for the
2.15 	open regent positions.  The legislature must meet in joint
2.16 	convention to act on the second slate of candidates.  The
2.17 	nomination and election process under this section continues
2.18 	until regents have been elected for all positions scheduled for
2.19 	the current election cycle.