Lawmaker Seeks to Exempt Creation Institute From State Rules

A year after Texas higher education officials declined to approve a proposed master's degree to be offered by the Institute for Creation Research, a state legislator has suggested a workaround: altering Texas law in a way that would exempt the institute from state regulation. The News-Journal of Longview reported Monday that State Rep. Leo Berman plans legislation that would excuse private, nonprofit educational institutions that forgo state funds from the rules of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Many scientists had opposed the institute's plan to establish a master's degree in science education, approached from a creationist perspective.