With 14 state legislatures (and D.C.) still in regular session as of June 20, states aren’t waiting on Washington to take action on higher education policy. Our team is tracking the progress of several pieces of state legislation that could have implications for college access, transfer, and transparency.

Illinois

Illinois lawmakers passed H.B. 3522, a direct admissions bill aimed at cutting red tape and boosting college-going rates. The bill would require public universities to set standards for general admission by March 1 each year and provides the authority for the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to automatically notify high school seniors and public community college transfer students of the direct admission programs that they qualify for.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has already signaled his support for the proposal publicly, likely assuring its passage.

Texas

Texas S.B. 3039 takes aim at the murky world of credit transfer. Under the proposal, Texas would require institutions to include in annual reports to the Legislature an identification of existing barriers to transfer. The bill would also require institutions to publicly list on their websites the five majors or degree programs with the highest number of courses for which academic credit is denied or not applied and to designate a specific liaison to manage transfer issues.

The bill was passed by both chambers of the Texas Legislature and was sent to Gov. Greg Abbott (R) for signature on June 2. As of June 20, Gov. Abbott has not signed the legislation into law. 

Ohio

Buried in Ohio’s budget bill, H.B. 96, is new statutory language related to institutional relationships with online program managers (OPMs). The senate passed version of the bill would require institutions in the Buckeye State to disclose OPM partnerships on their website, and for OPMs to identify themselves when providing services to students.

The language also prevents OPMs from controlling, administering, making decisions, or disbursing student financial aid. The bill currently defines OPM as an entity that provides “marketing and recruitment services and at least one additional service, including course design, technology, or faculty training, to support an online degree program.”

The Senate-passed version was rejected by the Ohio House, which means it’s headed to a conference committee. The budget bill is expected to be sent to and signed by Gov. Mike DeWine (R) by June 30.

This article is sourced from Whiteboard Notes, our weekly newsletter of the latest education policy and industry news read by thousands of education leaders, investors, grantmakers, and entrepreneurs. Subscribe here.