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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 26
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 5129
Referred to Committee on HIGHER EDUCATION AND
EMPLOYMENT ADVANCEMENT
Introduced by:
(HED)
AN ACT MAKING PERMAN ENT THE MORATORIUM ON THE
APPROVAL OF PROGRAMS AT INDEPENDENT INSTITUTIONS OF
HIGHER EDUCATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (l) of section 10a-34 of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 2
1, 2019): 3
(l) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (b) to (j), 4
inclusive, of this section and subject to the authority of the State Board 5
of Education to regulate teacher education programs, up to twelve new 6
programs of higher learning in any academic year and any program 7
modifications proposed by an independent institution of higher 8
education, as defined in section 10a-173, shall not be subject to 9
approval by the Office of Higher Education, [until July 1, 2020,] 10
provided (1) the institution maintains eligibility to participate in 11
financial aid programs governed by Title IV, Part B of the Higher 12
Education Act of 1965, as amended from time to time, (2) the United 13
States Department of Education has not determined that the institution 14
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has a financial responsibility score that is less than 1.5 for the most 15
recent fiscal year for which the data necessary for determining the 16
score is available, and (3) the institution has been located in the state 17
and accredited as a degree-granting institution in good standing for 18
ten years or more by a regional accrediting association recognized by 19
the Secretary of the United States Department of Education and 20
maintains such accreditation status. Each institution that is exempt 21
from program approval by the Office of Higher Education under this 22
subsection shall file with the office (A) an application for approval of 23
any new program of higher learning in excess of twelve new programs 24
in any academic year, (B) a program actions form, as created by the 25
office, prior to students enrolling in any new program of higher 26
learning or any existing program subject to a program modification, 27
and (C) not later than July first, and annually thereafter, (i) a list and 28
brief description of any new programs of higher learning introduced 29
by the institution in the preceding academic year and any existing 30
programs of higher learning discontinued by the institution in the 31
preceding academic year, (ii) the institution's current program 32
approval process and all actions of the governing board concerning 33
approval of any new program of higher learning, and (iii) the 34
institution's financial responsibility composite score, as determined by 35
the United States Department of Education, for the most recent fiscal 36
year for which the data necessary for determining the score is 37
available. 38
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2019 10a-34(l)
Statement of Purpose:
To permanently allow independent institutions of higher education to
create up to twelve new programs of higher learning in any academic
year and any program modifications without the approval of the
Office of Higher Education.
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[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
not underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: SEN. LOONEY, 11th Dist.; SEN. FASANO, 34th Dist.
REP. MCCARTHY VAHEY, 133rd Dist.; REP. YACCARINO,
87th Dist.
REP. STAFSTROM, 129th Dist.; REP. GILCHREST, 18th Dist.
REP. GENGA, 10th Dist.; SEN. FORMICA, 20th Dist.
S.B. 26, 131