HF 2649 (LSB 5229HV (4) 91)

HOUSE FILE 2649

BY  COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR TO HSB 533)

(As Amended and Passed by the House 2026-03-04)

A BILL FOR

An Act establishing a pilot program that authorizes eligible community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees.
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 “Removing Education Access Challenges in Higher Education (REACH) Act”.
    Sec. 2.  Section 260C.1, Code 2026, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  13.  Degree programs that lead to baccalaureate degrees, as authorized in this chapter.
    Sec. 3.  Section 260C.2, subsection 3, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   3.  “Community college” means a publicly supported school which may offer that does one or more of the following:
   a.  Offers programs of adult and continuing education, lifelong learning, community education, and up to two years of liberal arts, preprofessional, or occupational instruction partially fulfilling the requirements for a baccalaureate degree but confers no more than an associate degree; or which offers, except as provided in paragraph “c”.
   b.  Offers as the whole or as part of the curriculum up to two years of career and technical education, training, or retraining to persons who are preparing to enter the labor market.
   c.  Offers a degree program that leads to a baccalaureate degree, subject to the requirements established in section 260C.25.
    Sec. 4.  Section 260C.14, subsection 2, Code 2026, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  Have authority to determine tuition rates for instruction.
   a.  Tuition for residents of Iowa shall not exceed the lowest tuition rate per semester, or the equivalent, charged by an institution of higher education under the state board of regents for a full-time resident student. However, except for students enrolled under section 261E.6, if a local school district pays tuition for a resident pupil of high school age, the limitation on tuition for residents of Iowa shall not apply, the amount of tuition shall be determined by the board of directors of the community college with the consent of the local school board, and the pupil shall not be included in the full-time equivalent enrollment of the community college for the purpose of computing general aid to the community college.
   b.  Tuition for nonresidents of Iowa shall not be less than the marginal cost of instruction of a student attending the college. A lower tuition for nonresidents may be permitted under a reciprocal tuition agreement between a merged area and an educational institution in another state, if the agreement is approved by the director.
   c.  Tuition for residents of Iowa, for upper-level courses offered as part of a baccalaureate program, shall not exceed one hundred fifty percent of the tuition charged to such students under paragraph “a”.
   d.  The board may designate that a portion of the tuition moneys collected from students be used for student aid purposes.
    Sec. 5.  Section 260C.14, Code 2026, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  27.  If the community college will offer a degree program that leads to a baccalaureate degree, establish or modify any policies, seek any accreditation, and employ any staff necessary to offer such a degree program.
    Sec. 6.  NEW SECTION.  260C.25  Pilot program for community college baccalaureate degrees in geographically isolated regions.
   1.  The department of education shall administer a pilot program that authorizes eligible community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees subject to the requirements established in this section.
   2.  The state board of education shall adopt rules under chapter 17A prescribing standards and procedures for the authorization and oversight of the pilot program as well as an application and approval process.
   3.  a.  The rules adopted pursuant to subsection 2 must provide that a community college shall not offer a degree program that leads to a baccalaureate degree unless the community college’s main campus is located at least fifty miles from the main campus of an institution of higher education governed by the state board of regents or the main campus of a private institution of higher education that is already offering the degree program that the community college proposes to offer.
   b.  For purposes of this paragraph, distance shall be measured as the shortest practical driving distance using publicly available mapping software, as determined by the department of education.
   4.  The rules adopted pursuant to subsection 2 must provide that a community college shall not offer a degree program that leads to a baccalaureate degree unless the degree program satisfies all of the following requirements:
   a.  Consists of accredited programs of study or academic majors that lead to jobs that address a high-demand, sustained, and unmet workforce need within the community college region, as demonstrated by multiple workforce indicators, including current and projected job openings, wage data, workforce shortages, credential attainment gaps, labor market projections, and documented employer support for such programs of study or academic majors, as shown by the community college.
   b.  Is in any one of the following fields:
   (1)  Education.
   (2)  Nursing.
   (3)  Information technology.
   (4)  Public safety.
   (5)  Business.
   (6)  Health care management.
   (7)  Agriculture.
   (8)  Dental hygiene.
   c.  The instruction provided in courses within the degree program is not delivered entirely over the internet.
   5.  The rules adopted pursuant to subsection 2 must prohibit a community college from offering more than three baccalaureate degrees.
   6.  The rules adopted pursuant to subsection 2 must provide that the instruction provided in the upper-level courses in the degree program that leads to a baccalaureate degree must be provided at the community college’s primary campus designated by the community college for governance purposes.
   7.  a.  On or before December 1 of each year following the initial enrollment of students in a degree program that leads to a baccalaureate degree, each community college participating in the pilot program must submit a report to the department of education and to the general assembly that includes information related to all of the following:
   (1)  Enrollment and retention in the degree programs.
   (2)  The number of students who have completed the degree programs. 
   (3)  The workforce outcomes of students who have completed the degree programs.
   (4)  Employer engagement with students in the degree programs and the community college.
   (5)  The alignment of the degree programs with regional workforce needs.
   (6)  Tuition levels within the degree programs.
   (7)  The financial sustainability of the degree programs.
   (8)  Challenges encountered during implementation of the pilot program.
   (9)  Recommendations related to statutory or rules changes needed to make the pilot program more effective.
   b.  The legislative services agency shall provide copies of the reports submitted to the general assembly pursuant to paragraph “a” to the chairpersons of the senate standing committee on education and the house standing committee on education.
   c.  The department of education shall compile the reports submitted by the community colleges pursuant to paragraph “a”, create a summary of the reports, and submit the summary to the general assembly.
   8.  Upon the graduation of the first full cohort of students from baccalaureate degree programs under this pilot program, the general assembly shall review the outcomes of the pilot program and consider whether to modify or expand the pilot program.
   9.  As used in this section:
   a.  “Main campus” means the primary campus designated by an institution of higher education governed by the state board of regents, or by a private institution of higher education, for governance purposes.
   b.  “Private institution of higher education” means an institution of higher learning located in this state that satisfies all of the following requirements:
   (1)  Is accredited by any federally recognized accreditor of postsecondary educational institutions.
   (2)  Is exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
   (3)  Is authorized to award associate degrees or baccalaureate degrees in this state.