Sec. 441.001. COMMISSION; MEMBERS. (a) The Texas State Library and Archives Commission is composed of seven members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. All seven members must be representatives of the general public. A person is not eligible for appointment as a member of the commission if the person or the person's spouse:

(1) is registered, certified, or licensed by an occupational regulatory agency in the field of library or information science;

(2) is employed by or participates in the management of a business entity or other organization regulated by the commission or receiving funds from the commission;

(3) owns or controls, directly or indirectly, more than a 10 percent interest in a business entity or other organization regulated by the commission or receiving funds from the commission; or

(4) uses or receives a substantial amount of tangible goods, services, or funds from the commission, other than compensation or reimbursement authorized by law for commission membership, attendance, or expenses.

(b) Members of the commission serve staggered terms of six years.

(c) A person appointed to fill a vacancy serves for the remainder of the term to which that person's predecessor was appointed.

(d) An appointment to the commission shall be made without regard to the race, color, disability, sex, religion, age, or national origin of the appointee.

(e) A person may not be a member of the commission or act as the general counsel to the commission if the person is required to register as a lobbyist under Chapter 305 because of the person's activities for compensation on behalf of a profession related to the operation of the commission.

(f) A person may not be a member of the commission and may not be a commission employee employed in a "bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity," as that phrase is used for purposes of establishing an exemption to the overtime provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. Section 201 et seq.) if:

(1) the person is an officer, employee, or paid consultant of a Texas trade association in the field of library and information science, archives management, or records management; or

(2) the person's spouse is an officer, manager, or paid consultant of a Texas trade association in the field of library and information science, archives management, or records management.

(g) Expired.

(h) In this section, "Texas trade association" means a cooperative and voluntarily joined statewide association of business or professional competitors in this state designed to assist its members and its industry or profession in dealing with mutual business or professional problems and in promoting their common interest.

(i) It is a ground for removal from the commission if a member:

(1) does not have at the time of taking office the qualifications required by Subsection (a);

(2) does not maintain during service on the commission the qualifications required by Subsection (a);

(3) is ineligible for membership under Subsection (e) or (f);

(4) cannot, because of illness or disability, discharge the member's duties for a substantial part of the member's term; or

(5) is absent from more than half of the regularly scheduled commission meetings that the member is eligible to attend during a calendar year without an excuse approved by majority vote of the commission.

(j) The validity of an action of the commission is not affected by the fact that it was taken when a ground for removal of a commission member exists.

(k) If the director and librarian has knowledge that a potential ground for removal exists, the director and librarian shall notify the presiding officer of the commission of the potential ground. The presiding officer shall then notify the governor and the attorney general that a potential ground for removal exists. If the potential ground for removal involves the presiding officer, the director and librarian shall notify the next highest officer of the commission, who shall then notify the governor and the attorney general that a potential ground for removal exists.

(l) The commission shall be assigned suitable offices in the Capitol area in which the commission shall hold at least one regular meeting annually and as many special meetings as are necessary.

(m) The governor shall designate a member of the commission as the presiding officer of the commission to serve in that capacity at the pleasure of the governor.

(n) A member of the commission may not receive compensation for services as a member but is entitled to the per diem provided by the General Appropriations Act for attending a meeting of the commission. A member is also entitled to reimbursement for actual expenses reasonably incurred in connection with the performance of those services, subject to any applicable limitation on reimbursement provided by the General Appropriations Act.

(o) The commission is subject to the open meetings law, Chapter 551, and the administrative procedure law, Chapter 2001.

(p) The commission shall develop and implement policies that provide the public with a reasonable opportunity to appear before the commission and to speak on any issue under the jurisdiction of the commission.

(q) The Texas State Library and Archives Commission is subject to Chapter 325 (Texas Sunset Act). Unless continued in existence as provided by that chapter, the commission is abolished September 1, 2031.

Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 147, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., 1st C.S., ch. 17, Sec. 2.05, eff. Nov. 12, 1991; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 5.95(50), (83), eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 86, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 573, Sec. 1, eff. June 2, 1997; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1170, Sec. 24.01, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.

Amended by:

Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 251 (S.B. 913), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2007.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 533 (H.B. 1962), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2019.