By: Turner of Tarrant H.B. No. 3848       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to the authority of the Texas Higher Education   Coordinating Board to issue a certificate of authority or   certificate of authorization regarding professional degrees.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 61.303(c), Education Code, is amended as   follows:          (c)  The board may issueapprove the issuance of a   certificate of authorization to grant degrees to an exempt   institution or person a certificate of authorization to grant   degrees. The board may adopt rules regarding a process to allow an   exempt institution or person to apply for and receive approval for a   certificate of authorization under this section. The board shall   not issue a certificate of authorization to any institution   offering a professional degree or representing its credits earned   in this state are applicable toward a professional degree except to   the extent allowed for an authorized institution operating under a   State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). In this   subsection, "professional degree" includes Doctor of Medicine   (M.D.), Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.), Doctor of Dental Surgery   (D.D.S.), Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.), Juris Doctor   (J.D.), and Bachelor of Laws (LL.B).          SECTION 2.  Section 61.306, Education Code, is amended by   adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:          (d)  The board may not issue a certificate of authority for a   private postsecondary institution to grant a professional degree as   defined in Sec. 61.306(c), or to represent that credits earned in   this state are applicable toward a professional degree unless the   Board determines that all of the following conditions have been   met:                (1)  the capacity and ability of similar professional   degree programs at institutions of higher education and private or   independent institutions of higher education, as those terms are   defined in Sec. 61.003, are insufficient to meet the current market   needs for the state;                (2)  the institution seeking the certificate of   authority has the necessary faculty and other resources to ensure   student success;                (3)  sufficient placements are available to students   for required field-based experience, such as clinicals or   clerkships, in the proposed professional degree; and                (4)  the institution seeking the certificate of   authority is subject to, and will meet, the same standard for   approval and all academic criteria applicable to similar   professional degree programs at institutions of higher education   and private or independent institutions of higher education, as   those terms are defined in Sec. 61.003.          SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.