State Policy
Last Wednesday, January 28, the House Higher Education Committee met to discuss a number of bills. One of which was HSB 533, pertaining to community college baccalaureate degrees. During the Committee the bill was amended to change the original proposal to a pilot program. The pilot would allow a community college to offer a baccalaureate degree if it:
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Is located at least 50 miles from the main campus of a regent or private university that is offering the proposed degree program already
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Addresses a high-demand, sustained, and unmet workforce need within the community college region
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Falls within the following fields: education, nursing, information technology, public safety, Business, health care management, agriculture, and dental hygiene.
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Provides no more than three baccalaureate degrees
The amended bill was passed with bipartisan support. It next goes to the House floor. We'll continue to have discussions about the importance of this opportunity and the necessary funding for colleges to accomplish this. If you are interested in reaching out to legislators on this bill, we have opened a quorum campaign for you to reach out about the impact this opportunity would have for your college and community.
Make sure you’re signed up for Quorum to receive weekly legislative updates about important bill movement, proposed changes, and issues that we need you to take action on!
Federal Update
On January 31, the Federal Government went into a partial shutdown due to certain agencies, including Departments of Education, Labor, and others, not getting included in the six funding bills that were previously signed into law. This resulted in the Department of Education having to temporarily furlough staff and pause their grant-making and civil rights investigations. They continued to disburse Pell grants and the origination of student loans, provide access to FAFSA, collect student loans, and grant drawdowns. This paused activity and partial shutdown was short-lived, with a continuing resolution getting passed yesterday, Tuesday, February 3, and the Departments resuming full operations. Importantly, there were no cuts or elimination of student aid and other critical programs included in the Resolution.
CCforIowa will be in Washington, D.C. for 2026 Community College National Legislative Summit
This coming week, the CCforIowa team will join some of our community colleges in Washington, D.C. for the 2026 Community College National Legislative Summit! This event is an opportunity for CCforIowa to shine a spotlight on the importance of our nation’s community colleges to Congress and the Administration while also learning about the current climate in D.C. around issues impacting the community colleges. While there, we will meet with our congressional offices to advocate for their support of our students and communities. Keep an eye on our social media for real time photos and updates.