Paul Bettencourt Texas State Senator, District 7 | Official Website
Paul Bettencourt Texas State Senator, District 7 | Official Website
More specifically, the official text was summarized by the state legislature as ’’Relating to the governance of public institutions of higher education, including the establishment of a faculty council or senate and the decision-making authority of public institutions of higher education’’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
This bill addresses the governance of public institutions of higher education in Texas by establishing regulations for faculty councils or senates. It allows only the governing board of an institution to establish or authorize such councils, which are advisory in nature and prohibited from making final decisions or taking actions on behalf of the institution. Faculty councils must report to the institution's president, hold public meetings with at least 72 hours' notice, and ensure that any votes are recorded and published. Additionally, the bill outlines the institution's authority over academic programs and emphasizes responsibilities like advancing education, research, and academic freedom. Existing faculty councils not compliant with the new regulations will be abolished by Oct. 1, 2025, unless ratified by the governing board. The act takes effect immediately with required votes; otherwise, it becomes effective on Sept. 1, 2025.
Paul Bettencourt, chair of the Senate Committee on Local Government and member of the Senate Committee on Transportation, proposed another 17 bills during the 89(R) legislative session.
Bettencourt graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS.
Paul Bettencourt is currently serving in the Texas State Senate, representing the state's 7th Senate district. He replaced previous state senator Dan Patrick in 2015.
Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| SB 2048 | 03/17/2025 | Relating to the assumption of the powers and duties relating to driver's licenses, personal identification certificates, and other related programs, powers, and duties by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles |
| SB 2047 | 03/17/2025 | Relating to liability of judges and magistrates for the improper release on personal bond of defendants accused of committing certain felony offenses |
| SB 2045 | 03/17/2025 | Relating to the prohibition of certain actions with respect to campaign contributions and expenditures by foreign persons; creating criminal offenses |
| SB 2044 | 03/17/2025 | Relating to the regulation of certain political communications, a prohibition on electioneering by school district and open-enrollment charter school officials and employees, and actions and other proceedings by a public school challenging the operations of the public school system; authorizing an administrative penalty; creating a criminal offense |
| SB 2029 | 03/17/2025 | Relating to authorizing a statewide referendum allowing voters to indicate a preference for observing year-round standard time or daylight saving time |
| SB 2017 | 03/17/2025 | Relating to the creation of a criminal offense for operating a vehicle under certain circumstances causing a tire of the vehicle to spin, lose traction, or leave the surface of a highway |
| SB 2015 | 03/17/2025 | Relating to the relocation or adjustment of certain facilities for certain municipal projects |
| SB 1542 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to maintaining the accuracy of information contained within the statewide voter registration system; creating a criminal offense |
| SB 1509 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the authority of a municipality to regulate within its extraterritorial jurisdiction |
| SB 1503 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the expansion of the territory of an emergency services district into the territory of a municipality |
| SB 1501 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the allocation of proceeds from the issuance of general obligation bonds by political subdivisions |
| SB 1441 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to state agency employment openings and aptitude assessments |
| SB 1440 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to required reporting of certain discretionary prosecutorial decisions of prosecuting attorneys |
| SB 1439 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to automatic recounts of certain elections |
| SB 1438 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the procedure for a periodic rate adjustment by an electric utility |
| SB 1435 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to notice provided to certain state and local officials regarding an appeal of a municipal order filed by a transmission and distribution utility in a ratemaking proceeding |
| SB 818 | 02/07/2025 | Relating to the establishment of the Health Impact, Cost, and Coverage Analysis Program; authorizing a fee |
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