Amend CSHB 3348 (senate committee report) in SECTION 1 of the bill as follows:
(1) In the recital (page 1, line 24), between "(b-3)," and "(k)", insert "(b-4),".
(2) Strike added Sections 130.0012(b-2) and (b-3), Education Code (page 1, line 40, through page 2, line 8), and substitute the following:
(b-2) The coordinating board shall establish a pilot project to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of authorizing baccalaureate degree programs in the field of nursing at a public junior college that offers a degree program in that field, has a main campus located in the county seat of a county with a population greater than 3.3 million, and offers services in the territory described by Section 130.182. Subsection (g) does not apply to junior-level and senior-level courses offered under this subsection. In its recommendations to the legislature relating to state funding for public junior colleges, the coordinating board shall recommend that junior-level and senior-level courses offered under this subsection by a public junior college receive the same state support as other courses offered by the public junior college.
(b-3) Not later than January 1, 2017, the coordinating board shall prepare a progress report on each pilot project established under Subsections (b-1) and (b-2). Not later than January 1, 2019, the coordinating board shall prepare a report on the effectiveness of each pilot project, including any recommendations for legislative action regarding the offering of baccalaureate degree programs in the field of dental hygiene and the field of nursing by a public junior college. The coordinating board shall deliver a copy of each report to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the chair of the standing committee of each house of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over higher education. Unless the authority to continue offering baccalaureate degree programs in the field of dental hygiene or the field of nursing is continued by the legislature, a public junior college may not:
(1) enroll a new student in a baccalaureate degree program under the applicable pilot project after the 2019 fall semester;
(2) offer junior-level or senior-level courses for those degree programs after the 2021 fall semester, unless the coordinating board authorizes the college to offer those courses; or
(3) award a baccalaureate degree under the applicable pilot project after the 2021 fall semester, unless the coordinating board approves the awarding of the degree.
(b-4) This subsection and Subsections (b-1), (b-2), and (b-3) expire on the first June 15 following the first regular legislative session that occurs after the fourth anniversary of the date a public junior college offering a degree program in the field of dental hygiene under Subsection (b-1) or the field of nursing under Subsection (b-2) meets the accreditation requirements of Subsection (c).