1-1 By: Rangel (Senate Sponsor - Bivins) H.B. No. 1685 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House April 24, 2001; 1-3 April 25, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on 1-4 Education; May 4, 2001, reported adversely, with favorable 1-5 Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; 1-6 May 4, 2001, sent to printer.) 1-7 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 1685 By: Bivins 1-8 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-9 AN ACT 1-10 relating to a partnership or affiliation between certain entities 1-11 and a general academic teaching institution or a medical and dental 1-12 unit. 1-13 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-14 SECTION 1. Section 61.055, Education Code, is amended to 1-15 read as follows: 1-16 Sec. 61.055. INITIATION OF NEW DEPARTMENTS, SCHOOLS, AND 1-17 PROGRAMS; PARTNERSHIPS OR AFFILIATIONS. (a) Except as otherwise 1-18 provided by law, a new department, school, or degree or certificate 1-19 program approved by the board or its predecessor, the Texas 1-20 Commission on Higher Education, may not be initiated by any 1-21 institution of higher education until the board has made a written 1-22 finding that the department, school, or degree or certificate 1-23 program is adequately financed by legislative appropriation, by 1-24 funds allocated by the board, or by funds from other sources. 1-25 (b) A general academic teaching institution or medical and 1-26 dental unit may establish a partnership or affiliation with another 1-27 entity to offer or conduct courses for academic credit or to offer 1-28 or operate a degree program if: 1-29 (1) the governing board or other appropriate official 1-30 of the institution or unit determines that the partnership or 1-31 affiliation is: 1-32 (A) consistent with the role and mission 1-33 established for the institution or unit; 1-34 (B) in accordance with the degree and 1-35 certificate programs authorized to be offered by the institution or 1-36 unit; and 1-37 (C) consistent with the role and mission of the 1-38 university system, if any, to which the institution or unit 1-39 belongs; 1-40 (2) the partnership or affiliation is approved by the 1-41 coordinating board; or 1-42 (3) the partnership or affiliation is established to 1-43 secure or provide clinical or other similar practical educational 1-44 experience in connection with a course or degree program authorized 1-45 to be offered by the institution or unit. 1-46 SECTION 2. This Act does not affect a partnership or 1-47 affiliation established before the effective date of this Act. 1-48 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 1-49 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 1-50 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this 1-51 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 1-52 Act takes effect September 1, 2001. 1-53 * * * * *