Providing for a due process policy for faculty, staff, and students at regents institutions and for related disciplinary matters, and including effective date provisions

This bill requires the state board of regents to develop and adopt a due process policy applicable to faculty, staff, and students at regents institutions. The policy must require each institution to affirm and guarantee to all faculty, staff, and students subject to its disciplinary procedures all the constitutional rights of due process with limited exceptions as specified in the bill. In addition, the policy must require each institution to affirm and guarantee that it will establish adjudication procedures for faculty, staff, and students with strict adherence to due process protections. The bill specifies minimum required due process protections. The policy must also require each institution to refer all reported actions punishable as a felony immediately to a local law enforcement agency. The policy must further require each institution to require an employee deemed a Title IX responsible employee to have been employed for at least five years in a job where at least percent of hours worked consisted of criminal defense and to have substantial courtroom experience. The bill requires each institution to implement a range of disciplinary sanctions for a person under its jurisdiction who substantially interferes with the due process rights of others. _____ The bill requires each institution to inform all students and employees of the protections afforded to them under the bill and of the policies it has developed and adopted to implement the bill. The bill also requires each institution to post this information prominently on its internet site, include this information in materials given to new employees, and provide this information to each student during new student orientation. The bill requires each institution to post prominently on its internet site, and submit to the board, an annual report of all violations of due process rights described in the bill committed by a person under the institution’s jurisdiction and of all consequent disciplinary sanctions. The bill takes effect December 31, 2026.