Bill would require training for NSHE regents to bolster governance and transparency

Senate Bill 322, presented in the Assembly Education Committee, would require members of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents to complete specified professional-development training in their first and third years on the board. The training topics listed in the bill include open meeting law, public records, fiduciary responsibilities, higher-education governance, nondiscrimination, campus safety and related subjects.

Sen. Angie Taylor, sponsor of SB322, said the requirement mirrors existing statutory training for K-12 trustees and is intended to enhance transparency, accountability and public trust. "These are important public roles," Taylor told the committee.

Supporters said the bill formalizes and centralizes training while preserving flexibility for content and delivery. Kent Ervin of the Nevada Faculty Alliance and Patty Charlton, interim chancellor of NSHE, testified in support and said the language was refined through collaboration with NSHE and other stakeholders.

Committee counsel said the Legislature has authority under the Nevada Constitution to prescribe duties for the Board of Regents and that the measure fits within that authority. No opposition witnesses appeared in the record; committee members asked clarifying questions about continuing education credit and whether training hours would count toward public-official certificates.

The hearing closed with supporters urging the committee to advance SB322; no committee vote is recorded in the transcript.