By Rangel H.B. No. 1685 77R830 KEL-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 governing 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; and 2-8 (2) the partnership or affiliation is evaluated by the 2-9 coordinating board as described by Subsection (c) and approved by 2-10 an act of the legislature. 2-11 (c) The coordinating board shall review, using the standards 2-12 provided by Subsection (b)(1), a proposed partnership or 2-13 affiliation described by that subsection and shall submit to the 2-14 legislature a written recommendation regarding the establishment of 2-15 the partnership or affiliation. 2-16 SECTION 2. This Act does not affect a partnership or 2-17 affiliation established before the effective date of this Act. 2-18 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 2-19 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 2-20 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this 2-21 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 2-22 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.