By Rangel                                             H.B. No. 3651
         76R3550 KEL-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the initiation of or the affiliation with certain
 1-3     entities by a university system, a general academic teaching
 1-4     institution, or a medical and dental 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, OFF-CAMPUS UNITS, OR AFFILIATIONS.  (a)  Except as
1-10     otherwise provided by law, a [new] department, school, or degree or
1-11     certificate program approved by the board or its predecessor, the
1-12     Texas 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 university system, a general academic teaching
1-18     institution, or a medical and dental unit may not initiate a branch
1-19     campus, extension center, other off-campus unit, or professional
1-20     school and may not affiliate with a private or independent
1-21     institution of higher education to offer or jointly operate a
1-22     branch campus, extension center, other off-campus unit, or
1-23     professional school until:
1-24                 (1)  the initiation or affiliation is approved by
 2-1     legislative act;
 2-2                 (2)  the initiation or affiliation is approved by the
 2-3     board; and
 2-4                 (3)  the board makes a written finding that the branch
 2-5     campus, extension center, other off-campus unit, or professional
 2-6     school is adequately financed by legislative appropriation, by
 2-7     funds allocated by the board, or by funds from other sources.
 2-8           SECTION 2.  This Act does not affect a branch campus,
 2-9     extension center, other off-campus unit, professional school, or
2-10     affiliation initiated before the effective date of this Act.
2-11           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
2-12     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-13     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-14     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-15     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-16     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-17     passage, and it is so enacted.