TRAINING PROGRAM

(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 department operations; (2) the programs, functions, rules, and budget of the department; (3) the scope of and limitations on the rulemaking authority of the commission; (4) the results of the most recent formal audit of the department; (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 department or the Texas Ethics Commission. (c) A person appointed to the commission is entitled to reimbursement under Section 15.207, as if the person were a member of the commission, for travel expenses incurred in attending the training program, regardless of whether the attendance at the program occurs before or after the person qualifies for office. (d) The commissioner shall create a training manual that includes the information required by Subsection (b). The commissioner shall distribute a copy of the training manual annually to each commission member. Each commission member shall sign and submit to the commissioner a statement acknowledging that the commission member received and has reviewed the training manual.