MEMBER TRAINING.

(a) A person who is appointed to and qualifies for office as a member of the board may not vote, deliberate, or be counted as a member in attendance at a meeting of the board 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 board operations;

(2) the programs, functions, rules, and budget of the board;

(3) the board's investment programs and strategies;

(4) the permanent school fund, including a comprehensive overview of the law governing the fund;

(5) the scope of and limitations on the rulemaking authority of the board;

(6) the results of the most recent formal audit of the board;

(7) the requirements of:

(A) laws relating to open meetings, public information, administrative procedure, and disclosure of conflicts of interest; and

(B) other laws applicable to members of a state policymaking body in performing their duties; and

(8) any applicable ethics policies adopted by the board or the Texas Ethics Commission.

(c) A person appointed to the board is entitled to reimbursement, as provided by the General Appropriations Act, for the 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).

(e) The commissioner shall distribute a copy of the training manual annually to each appointed member of the board. Each of those members shall sign and submit to the commissioner a statement acknowledging that the member received and has reviewed the training manual.