TASB College eLaw
TASB College eLaw is a collection of free higher education law resources for community college officials and the college community.
Governance
Coronavirus
Discrimination and Harassment
First Amendment and Campus Expression
Elections and Tax
Business
Safety and Emergency Management
Personnel
Instruction
Governance
Governance Generally
Records
Conflicts
Open Meetings Act - Basics
Open Meetings Procedures
- Meeting Notice Requirements (pdf) answers frequently asked questions about meeting notice requirements under the OMA.
- Emergency Meetings (pdf) answers frequently asked questions about notice requirements for emergency meetings under the OMA and related issues.
- Public Comment (pdf) answers frequently asked questions about the requirements for a public comment period at board meetings.
- Voting (pdf) answers frequently asked questions about voting at a community college board meeting.
- Remote Participation in Board Meetings (pdf) provides information about conducting board meetings via teleconference or videoconference.
- Model meeting documents that comply with the OMA and Roberts Rules of Order:
Open Meetings Act - Closed Meetings
- Closed Meeting Topics and Procedures (pdf) answers frequently asked questions about how and when a board may hold a closed meeting under the OMA.
- Closed Meeting Records (pdf) answers frequently asked questions about who can access closed meeting records.
- Attendance at Closed Meetings (pdf) answers frequently asked questions about who can attend closed sessions during a board meeting.
- eLaw Sample Document used for Closed Meetings:
- Certified Agenda (docx) gives Texas community college boards a template for compliance with the OMA requirement that boards document closed meetings.
Coronavirus
Discrimination and Harassment
First Amendment and Campus Expression
- First Amendment Basics (pdf) provides an overview of the protections granted by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as they relate to higher education.
- Campus Expression and Facilities Use (pdf) discusses select federal and state laws addressing student, employee, and community expression on campus and their use of community college facilities.
Elections and Tax
- Deadlines for November 2023 Community College Elections (pdf) provides important dates and deadlines applicable to community colleges preparing for the November 2023 election.
- Notice of Candidate Filing Period for November 7, 2023 Election (pdf) advises community colleges of the requirement to notify the public of the filing period for running for college trustee on November 7, 2023. The deadline to post this notice is June 22, 2023.
- Overview of Budget & Tax Rate Adoption (pdf) outlines the intersecting legal requirements of the Texas Education, Tax, and Election Codes in the board’s process of approving its annual budget and adopting a property tax rate.
- Timelines for Budget & Tax Rate Adoption (pdf) provides the chronology of deadlines for board approval of college budgets and adoption of property tax rates, as well as voter-approval tax rate elections.
- Notice and Website Posting Requirements for Budget & Tax Rate Adoption (pdf) answers frequently asked questions about the notice that must be provided to the public during the budget and tax rate adoption process, including the required contents and methods of distribution. The appendix to the Q&A includes two notices (docx) also available in an editable word format.
- Board Procedures & Resolutions for Adopting Tax Rate (docx) includes sample resolutions for use by a community college board when adopting the college’s tax rate.
- Community College Voter-Approval Tax Rate Elections in 2023 (pdf) answers frequently asked questions about the legal parameters for voter-approval tax rate elections that may follow a community college’s annual adoption of a property tax rate.
- After the Board Election (pdf) answers frequently asked questions about what to do immediately following the board election, including canvassing votes and reorganization.
- Frequently Asked Questions about Legislative Advocacy (pdf) addresses advocacy by a community college, its trustees, and its employees during the legislative session.
Business
Safety and Emergency Management
Personnel
- Conflicts of Interest: Nepotism (pdf) answers frequently asked questions about the prohibition on nepotism in hiring and the college officials to whom the prohibition applies.
- Affordable Care Act (pdf) answers frequently asked questions about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions relevant to employers, including the employer shared responsibility requirements and associated full-time employee determinations.
- Publication of Equal Employment Opportunity Statements (pdf) answers frequently asked questions about the publication of EEO statements.
Instruction
- Dual Credit (pdf) answers frequently asked questions that arise surrounding dual credit instruction and partnerships.