HSB 51 (LSB 1201YC (6) 91)

HOUSE FILE _____ 

BY  (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON COLLINS)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to tuition, degree programs, employment, and related matters pertaining to students enrolled at regents institutions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  SHORT TITLE.  This Act shall be known and may be cited as the “College Affordability Act”.
    Sec. 2.  Section 262.9, subsection 19, paragraph a, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  Not less than thirty days prior to action by the board on any proposal to increase tuition, fees, or charges at one or more of the institutions of higher education under its control, send written notification of the amount of the proposed increase including a copy of the proposed tuition increase docket memorandum prepared for its consideration to the presiding officers of the student government organization of the affected institutions. The final decision on an increase in tuition or mandatory fees charged to all students at an institution for a fiscal year shall be made at a regular meeting and shall be reflected in a final docket memorandum that states the estimated total cost of attending each of the institutions of higher education under the board’s control. The regular meeting shall be held in Ames, Cedar Falls, or Iowa City and shall not be held during a period in which classes have been suspended for university holiday or break.  The final decision on an increase in tuition charged to all students at an institution for a fiscal year shall be made at a regular meeting held no later than December 31 of the previous fiscal year.
    Sec. 3.  Section 262.9, subsection 19, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new paragraph:
   NEW PARAGRAPH.  d.  Limit any annual increase in tuition or mandatory fees charged for a fiscal year to all students at an institution who are in-state residents to no more than three percent.
    Sec. 4.  Section 262.9, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new subsections:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  39.  Direct each institution of higher education governed by the board to establish a policy whereby the tuition amount charged to students classified as residents that is charged to an undergraduate student in the student’s first academic year of enrollment, commencing with a first academic year of enrollment beginning in or after 2026, will not increase in the student’s subsequent academic years of undergraduate enrollment. For a student who begins their first academic year of undergraduate enrollment with sufficient academic transfer credits that the student can complete a baccalaureate degree program in less than four academic years, this requirement shall only apply for the number of academic years necessary for the student to complete a degree program with their academic transfer credits, rounded up. This subsection does not apply to any academic years beyond three consecutive academic years of undergraduate enrollment after a student’s first academic year of enrollment.
   NEW SUBSECTION.  40.  Direct each institution of higher education governed by the board to offer at least one baccalaureate degree program that can be completed in three years by the academic year beginning in 2027.
   NEW SUBSECTION.  41.  a.  Direct each institution of higher education governed by the board to establish, no later than the academic year beginning in 2027, a work plus program in accordance with this subsection. The program shall allow an undergraduate student to engage in part-time employment while pursuing a baccalaureate degree with the employer being financially responsible for tuition and mandatory fees during semesters of employment.
   b.  A student and employer participating in the program shall sign an agreement, in a form established by the institution, to comply with the requirements of this subsection. The agreement must provide the rights and responsibilities of the student and employer under the program. The agreement must include but not be limited to the following requirements:
   (1)  The student shall perform part-time work for the employer for at least one semester while enrolled at the institution.
   (2)  The employer shall pay the student for such work as provided in chapter 91D.
   (3)  The employer shall be financially responsible for all tuition and mandatory fees owed by the student during semesters in which the student is employed under the program.
   c.  Each institution shall establish a registration process for employers participating in the program.
   d.  The board may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this subsection.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to tuition, degree programs, employment, and related matters pertaining to students enrolled at regents institutions.
   The bill provides that the final decision by the state board of regents (board) on an increase in tuition charged to all students at an institution for a fiscal year shall be made at a regular meeting of the board held no later than December 31 of the previous fiscal year.
   The bill requires the board to limit any annual increase in tuition or mandatory fees charged for a fiscal year to all students at a regents institution who are in-state residents to no more than 3 percent.
   The bill requires the board to direct each regents institution to establish a policy whereby the tuition amount charged to students classified as residents that is charged to an undergraduate student in the student’s first academic year of enrollment will not increase in the student’s subsequent academic years of undergraduate enrollment. This requirement applies to a student’s first academic year of enrollment that begins in or after 2026. The bill provides limitations on this requirement.
   The bill requires the board to direct each regents institution to offer at least one baccalaureate degree program that can be completed in three years by the academic year beginning in 2027.
   The bill requires the board to direct each regents institution to establish a work plus program no later than the academic year beginning in 2027. The program shall allow an undergraduate student to engage in part-time employment while pursuing a baccalaureate degree with the employer being financially responsible for tuition and mandatory fees during semesters of employment. A student and employer participating in the program must sign an agreement, in a form established by the regents institution, to comply with the requirements of the program which provides the rights and responsibilities of both parties. The agreement must at minimum provide for the student to perform part-time work for the employer for at least one semester while enrolled at the institution, for the employer to pay the student the state or federal minimum wage, and for the employer to be financially responsible for all tuition and mandatory fees owed by the student during semesters in which the student is employed. The bill requires each institution to establish a registration process for employers participating in the program.