House Study Bill 533 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON COLLINS) A BILL FOR An Act authorizing community colleges to offer a degree program 1 that leads to a baccalaureate degree. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5229YC (6) 91 jda/jh

H.F. _____ Section 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act shall be known and may be 1 cited as the “Removing Education Access Challenges in Higher 2 Education (REACH) Act”. 3 Sec. 2. Section 260C.1, Code 2026, is amended by adding the 4 following new subsection: 5 NEW SUBSECTION . 13. Degree programs that lead to 6 baccalaureate degrees, as authorized in this chapter. 7 Sec. 3. Section 260C.2, subsection 3, Code 2026, is amended 8 to read as follows: 9 3. “Community college” means a publicly supported school 10 which may offer that does one or more of the following: 11 a. Offers programs of adult and continuing education, 12 lifelong learning, community education, and up to two years 13 of liberal arts, preprofessional, or occupational instruction 14 partially fulfilling the requirements for a baccalaureate 15 degree but confers no more than an associate degree ; or which 16 offers , except as provided in paragraph “c” . 17 b. Offers as the whole or as part of the curriculum up 18 to two years of career and technical education, training, or 19 retraining to persons who are preparing to enter the labor 20 market. 21 c. Offers a degree program that leads to a baccalaureate 22 degree and that satisfies all of the following requirements: 23 (1) Consists of programs of study or academic majors 24 that lead to jobs that address a high-demand, sustained, and 25 unmet workforce need within the community college region, as 26 demonstrated by the current number of related job vacancies and 27 employer support for such programs of study or academic majors, 28 and as shown by the community college. 29 (2) The instruction provided in courses within the degree 30 program is not delivered entirely over the internet. 31 Sec. 4. Section 260C.4, Code 2026, is amended by adding the 32 following new subsection: 33 NEW SUBSECTION . 4. Adopt rules under chapter 17A 34 prescribing standards and procedures for the authorization and 35 -1- LSB 5229YC (6) 91 jda/jh 1/ 3

H.F. _____ oversight of baccalaureate degree programs offered by community 1 colleges. 2 Sec. 5. Section 260C.14, subsection 2, Code 2026, is amended 3 to read as follows: 4 2. Have authority to determine tuition rates for 5 instruction. 6 a. Tuition for residents of Iowa shall not exceed the 7 lowest tuition rate per semester, or the equivalent, charged 8 by an institution of higher education under the state board 9 of regents for a full-time resident student. However, except 10 for students enrolled under section 261E.6 , if a local school 11 district pays tuition for a resident pupil of high school age, 12 the limitation on tuition for residents of Iowa shall not 13 apply, the amount of tuition shall be determined by the board 14 of directors of the community college with the consent of the 15 local school board, and the pupil shall not be included in the 16 full-time equivalent enrollment of the community college for 17 the purpose of computing general aid to the community college. 18 b. Tuition for nonresidents of Iowa shall not be less than 19 the marginal cost of instruction of a student attending the 20 college. A lower tuition for nonresidents may be permitted 21 under a reciprocal tuition agreement between a merged area and 22 an educational institution in another state, if the agreement 23 is approved by the director. 24 c. Tuition for residents of Iowa, for courses offered as 25 part of a baccalaureate program, shall not exceed one hundred 26 fifty percent of the tuition charged to such students under 27 paragraph “a” . 28 d. The board may designate that a portion of the tuition 29 moneys collected from students be used for student aid 30 purposes. 31 Sec. 6. Section 260C.14, Code 2026, is amended by adding the 32 following new subsection: 33 NEW SUBSECTION . 27. If the community college will offer a 34 degree program that leads to a baccalaureate degree, establish 35 -2- LSB 5229YC (6) 91 jda/jh 2/ 3

H.F. _____ or modify any policies, seek any accreditation, and employ any 1 staff necessary to offer such a degree program. 2 EXPLANATION 3 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 4 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 5 This bill authorizes community colleges to offer a degree 6 program that leads to a baccalaureate degree and that satisfies 7 all of the following requirements: the degree program consists 8 of programs of study or academic majors that lead to jobs that 9 address a high-demand, sustained, and unmet workforce need 10 within the community college region as shown by the community 11 college, and the instruction provided within the degree 12 program is not delivered entirely over the internet. Under 13 current law, community colleges may offer up to two years of 14 liberal arts, preprofessional, or occupational instruction that 15 partially fulfills the requirements for a baccalaureate degree 16 but that confers no more than an associate degree. 17 The bill requires the state board of education to adopt rules 18 prescribing standards and procedures for the authorization 19 and oversight of baccalaureate degree programs offered by 20 community colleges. The tuition for residents of Iowa for 21 courses offered as part of a baccalaureate degree program 22 at a community college shall not exceed 150 percent of the 23 tuition charged to residents of Iowa for traditional community 24 college courses. The boards of directors of community colleges 25 are authorized to establish or modify any policies, seek any 26 accreditation, and employ any staff necessary to offer a 27 baccalaureate degree program. 28 -3- LSB 5229YC (6) 91 jda/jh 3/ 3