MANDATORY TRAINING PROGRAM FOR COMMISSIONERS

(a) A person who is appointed to and qualifies for office as a member of the commission may not vote, deliberate, or be counted as a member in attendance at a meeting of the commission until the person completes a training program that complies with this section. (b) The training program must provide the person with information regarding: (1) the law governing commission operations; (2) the programs, functions, rules, and budget of the commission; (3) the scope of and limitations on the rulemaking authority of the commission; (4) the results of the most recent formal audit of the commission; (5) the requirements of: (A) laws relating to open meetings, public information, administrative procedure, and disclosing conflicts of interest; and (B) other laws applicable to members of a state policy-making body in performing their duties; and (6) any applicable ethics policies adopted by the commission or the Texas Ethics Commission. (c) A person appointed to the commission is entitled to reimbursement, as provided by the General Appropriations Act, for the travel expenses incurred in attending the training program, regardless of whether attendance at the program occurs before or after the person qualifies for the office. (d) The executive director of the commission shall create a training manual that includes the information required by Subsection (b). The executive director shall distribute a copy of the training manual annually to each member of the commission. Each member of the commission shall sign and submit to the executive director a statement acknowledging that the member received and has reviewed the training manual.