Relating to the accreditation of public institutions of higher education.

SB 1322 creates a new Texas Higher Education Accreditation Commission (THEAC) to oversee accreditation of public universities. The commission, appointed with three members each by the governor, lieutenant governor, and House speaker, must include employer representatives from key job fields and exclude those with recent ties to federal accreditors. It requires the commission to approve at least three accrediting agencies, conduct biennial evaluations of them (rating as unsatisfactory, satisfactory, or exemplary), and publish evaluation standards online. This bill shifts oversight of accreditation standards from federal bodies to a state-level commission, directly affecting all public institutions of higher education in Texas.