House File 440 - Reprinted HOUSE FILE 440 BY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 51) (COMPANION TO SF 243 BY GREEN) (As Amended and Passed by the House March 18, 2025 ) A BILL FOR An Act relating to tuition, degree programs, employment, and 1 related matters pertaining to students enrolled at regents 2 institutions. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 HF 440 (2) 91 je/jh/md
H.F. 440 Section 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act shall be known and may be 1 cited as the “College Affordability Act”. 2 Sec. 2. Section 262.9, subsection 19, paragraph a, Code 3 2025, is amended to read as follows: 4 a. Not less than thirty days prior to action by the board 5 on any proposal to increase tuition, fees, or charges at 6 one or more of the institutions of higher education under 7 its control, send written notification of the amount of the 8 proposed increase including a copy of the proposed tuition 9 increase docket memorandum prepared for its consideration to 10 the presiding officers of the student government organization 11 of the affected institutions. The final decision on an 12 increase in tuition or mandatory fees charged to all students 13 at an institution for a fiscal year shall be made at a regular 14 meeting and shall be reflected in a final docket memorandum 15 that states the estimated total cost of attending each of the 16 institutions of higher education under the board’s control. 17 The regular meeting shall be held in Ames, Cedar Falls, or Iowa 18 City and shall not be held during a period in which classes 19 have been suspended for university holiday or break. The final 20 decision on an increase in tuition charged to all students at 21 an institution for a fiscal year shall be made at a regular 22 meeting held no later than April 30 of the previous fiscal 23 year. 24 Sec. 3. Section 262.9, Code 2025, is amended by adding the 25 following new subsections: 26 NEW SUBSECTION . 39. Direct each institution of higher 27 education governed by the board to begin efforts to offer at 28 least one baccalaureate degree program that can be completed 29 in three years. 30 NEW SUBSECTION . 40. Direct each institution of higher 31 education governed by the board to begin implementation of 32 at least one work study program whereby a student engages in 33 part-time employment while pursuing a degree with the employer 34 being financially responsible for the student’s tuition 35 -1- HF 440 (2) 91 je/jh/md 1/ 2
H.F. 440 and mandatory fees during semesters in which the student is 1 employed by the employer. 2 Sec. 4. INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION GOVERNED BY THE 3 STATE BOARD OF REGENTS —— UNDERGRADUATE TUITION —— STUDY. 4 1. The state board of regents shall conduct a study on 5 establishing a policy whereby the tuition amount charged 6 to students classified as residents that is charged to an 7 undergraduate student in the student’s first academic year 8 of enrollment will not increase in the student’s subsequent 9 academic years of undergraduate enrollment for three 10 consecutive academic years. 11 2. The study shall include projections of how much such a 12 policy would increase enrollment at each of the institutions 13 of higher education governed by the board, the technical 14 feasibility of such a policy, the cost of implementation of 15 such a policy, and the results of implementation of similar 16 policies in other states. 17 3. The board shall submit a report on the results of the 18 study to the governor and the general assembly no later than 19 November 30, 2025. 20 -2- HF 440 (2) 91 je/jh/md 2/ 2