By Rangel, Danburg H.B. No. 3651 76R11558 JSA-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to a partnership or affiliation between certain entities 1-3 and a general academic teaching institution or a medical and dental 1-4 unit. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. Section 61.055, Education Code, is amended to 1-7 read as follows: 1-8 Sec. 61.055. INITIATION OF NEW DEPARTMENTS, SCHOOLS, AND 1-9 PROGRAMS; PARTNERSHIPS OR AFFILIATIONS. (a) Except as otherwise 1-10 provided by law, a new department, school, or degree or certificate 1-11 program approved by the board or its predecessor, the Texas 1-12 Commission on Higher Education, may not be initiated by any 1-13 institution of higher education until the board has made a written 1-14 finding that the department, school, or degree or certificate 1-15 program is adequately financed by legislative appropriation, by 1-16 funds allocated by the board, or by funds from other sources. 1-17 (b) A governing board may not establish a partnership or 1-18 affiliation between a general academic teaching institution or 1-19 medical and dental unit within the governing board's control and 1-20 any other entity to offer or conduct courses for academic credit or 1-21 to offer or operate a degree program unless: 1-22 (1) the coordinating board determines that the 1-23 partnership or affiliation is: 1-24 (A) consistent with the role and mission 2-1 established for the institution or unit; 2-2 (B) in accordance with the degree and 2-3 certificate programs authorized to be offered by the institution or 2-4 unit; and 2-5 (C) consistent with the role and mission of the 2-6 university system, if any, to which the institution or unit 2-7 belongs; or 2-8 (2) the partnership or affiliation is approved by an 2-9 act of the legislature. 2-10 SECTION 2. This Act does not affect a partnership or 2-11 affiliation initiated before the effective date of this Act. 2-12 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-13 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-14 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-15 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-16 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 2-17 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 2-18 passage, and it is so enacted.