Latest news with #HouseFile440
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Iowa Senate passes bill to set tuition increase deadline, form new degree programs
The Iowa Senate unanimously passed a bill to set a deadline for approving tuition increases at state universities. (Photo illustration via Getty Images) The Iowa Senate sent a bill to Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk Wednesday that would set a deadline for tuition approval and implement new types of degree programs. Titled the 'College Affordability Act,' House File 440 would require the Iowa Board of Regents set tuition for state universities in the upcoming academic year by April 30 and conduct a study into the potential of freezing a student's tuition in their first undergraduate year, making it so it won't increase over the next three years. State universities would also need to create at least one three-year bachelor's degree program and work study program for employers to pay a student's tuition while they are employed with them under the legislation. The bill passed with unanimous support but some lingering concerns over the Legislature's role in university finances. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, noted the Iowa Board of Regents is considering potential tuition increases for the 2025-2026 academic year this week during its April meeting, but the Legislature has yet to provide them with information on what money they'll see from the state in the future. Quirmbach said he supports the bill and hopes it can serve as a 'shove' to get the Legislature to determine state appropriations for public higher education earlier than this year and in the past. When referencing three-year degree programs, he said there are things the Legislature can do at the K-12 level to help students complete their degree faster, like providing more funding for schools. 'If, by setting this date for the board to act, it can tweak the conscience of the majority party to get their own act together, then this would be useful,' Quirmbach said. 'I can only hope that that proves to be the case.' As state allocations have decreased to the point where anywhere from 60-70% of their budget is made up by tuition, Quirmbach said the universities and board are having to 'take a guess' at how much tuition they'll need to pay their bills. 'Everyone has to imagine that over time, if this Legislature continues to dawdle in approving education appropriations, that the board of regents is going to have to set higher tuitions than they otherwise generally would in order to cover their uncertainty,' Quirmbach said. Sen. Jesse Green, R-Boone, floor manager of the bill, said there are a lot of areas lawmakers need to pay attention to related to this bill, including tuition increases. He added he looks forward to the board's study into tuition freezes, which is supposed to be completed and provided to the General Assembly by the end of this year. 'This issue is more than just their request,' Green said. 'Last year, we gave them $3 million less than their requests, and yet they generated about $35 million more from tuition. So there is a lot that needs to be studied here.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State universities would explore potential tuition freezes under bill
A bill moved ahead by an Iowa Senate subcommittee would have the Iowa Board of Regents study the potential pros and cons of freezing tuition for freshmen. (Photo illustration via Getty Images) An Iowa Senate subcommittee unanimously passed a House-approved bill Thursday to explore possible tuition cost changes and new degree programs at state universities. Titled the 'College Affordability Act,' House File 440 would require the Iowa Board of Regents to complete a feasibility study on the potential of locking in a resident student's tuition price in their first year, ensuring they won't see increases in the next three years of their undergraduate study. The bill would also require the board of regents to approve any tuition increases as April 30 of the previous fiscal year. State universities also would have to develop at least one three-year bachelor's degree program and one work study program for students to work part time while attending school, paid for by their employer. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Iowa Board of Regents State Relations Officer Carolann Jensen said the board has already or will complete the directives set in the bill without it needing to be passed into law. 'The board supports the bill, but we don't think it's necessary,' Jensen said. A previous version of the legislation included language that would have capped tuition increases at 3% and required universities to lock in a student's tuition in their first year of study so it wouldn't increase in later years, rather than having universities conduct a study on the topic. However, an amendment adopted during House debate took out these provisions. Senate File 243, the companion to House File 440, still includes sections on capping and freezing tuition. It was recommended for passage by a subcommittee Feb. 19. Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, said he would sign off on the bill, but added he'd like to see an amendment to allow an exception to the April 30 deadline to set tuition increases if state allocations to universities have not been determined by that time. Quirmbach said he was happy to see the legislation back off from setting tuition caps and freezes, as setting tuition in a way that will ensure university budgets are balanced would become more complicated, and could result in front-loaded, higher prices. Trying to set a tuition price for the next four years rather than just the next year would be difficult, Quirmbach said, with institutions not knowing projected enrollment, changing costs and markets and what state appropriations will look like in the future. 'I think that there are serious problems trying to achieve that,' Quirmbach said. Sen. Doug Campbell, R-Mason City, said he thinks House File 440 is a great piece of legislation for Iowa. 'I like to see this coming forward for the students in the state of Iowa,' Campbell said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
University of Iowa 'center for intellectual freedom,' college tuition bills pass House
Legislation establishing a new University of Iowa "center for intellectual freedom" and targeting college affordability were among the bills Iowa House lawmakers passed Tuesday reshaping the state's higher education system. Championed by former Gov. Terry Branstad, the UI "center for intellectual freedom" would research and teach students about historical ideas, traditions and texts that have shaped America's constitutional order and society. The measure, House File 437, passed the House in a 60-36 vote. It has a Senate companion, Senate File 519. An analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency projected the center would cost at least $1.5 million, covering the salaries and benefits of a dean and at least five tenure-track faculty members. The proposed center would be an independent academic unit within the UI's College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. The bill targets the UI, since the University of Northern Iowa already has a Center for Civic Education, and Iowa State University offers civic education initiatives. The center would be expected to work with the other public universities on academic programming they could offer to students at any institution online or in person. Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, chair of the House Higher Education Committee, said it was 'an incredible step forward in enhancing civic education across our three regent universities and increasing the level of intellectual diversity at the University of Iowa.' Rep. Amy Nielsen, D-North Liberty, said it was an 'unfunded mandate' to the UI and proposed a failed amendment that would have stipulated that funding come from private donations, not student tuition and fees. Collins said it was 'interesting' that there were no concerns about diversity, equity and inclusion executives' salaries but lawmakers now take issue with funding civic education. 'It seems like diversity of thought, diversity of perspective doesn't seem to matter,' Collins said. 'That's a problem.' Rep. Aime Wichtendahl, D-Hiawatha, said it was ironic that lawmakers were seeking more intellectual diversity, yet minutes earlier had passed various DEI restrictions geared mostly toward higher education. "To me, it seems that if there was such a thing as a center of intellectual freedom that it could be open to introducing concepts, ideas and political theory from across the political spectrum, and those ideas would be held, debated and defended, including concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion," Wichtendahl said. The final higher education measure House lawmakers passed in a 64-33 vote was House File 440, which states that annual tuition increases for resident undergraduates will not exceed a three-year rolling average of the Higher Education Price Index, which is an inflation index designed to track the main cost drivers in higher education. It originally capped tuition increases at Iowa's public universities at 3%, but Collins said that was changed because the regents agreed to adopt the policy tying tuition hikes to the Higher Education Price Index. The regents would have to set tuition rates by April 30 of the previous fiscal year, which Collins said ensures students know the price they would pay to attend the institution in the fall. The governing board also would have to conduct a study on establishing a 'tuition guarantee' for students, including the cost, how much such a policy may boost enrollment and the results other states have seen from implementing some sort of tuition cap. Under this guarantee, a college student could not be charged a higher tuition rate than where the rate was set their freshman year. Additionally, the regents would have to begin efforts to offer at least one three-year bachelor's program and offer at least one work-study program where employers pay for a student's tuition and fees in exchange for part-time work. The bill and the regents' policy are ' a major victory in controlling costs, providing certainty for our students and getting students into the workforce even faster, all while saving them more of their hard-earned money," Collins said. Rep. Adam Zabner, D-Iowa City, said the cost burden of attending college has shifted to students as state funding has dwindled and tuition now makes up about two-thirds of the universities' funding. He said he hoped the new Higher Education Committee would take more steps to promote affordability. 'Our universities should serve the students of Iowa and ensure that they have the opportunity to reach their dreams," Zabner said. Several bills Collins had pushed are being implemented by the Board of Regents without passing into law. The regents have agreed to conduct a review of all academic programs at each regent university to determine how they align with the state's workforce needs. They also agreed to adopt additional transparency measures for course syllabi and university finances, which both advanced out of the House Higher Education Committee. Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@ Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @marissajpayne. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: House passes UI 'intellectual freedom' center, college tuition bills
