(Des Moines, IA – IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – Legislation allowing Iowa community colleges to offer four-year degrees in some subjects — an idea strongly opposed by Iowa private colleges — was narrowed Wednesday before passing out of an Iowa House committee. The Iowa House Higher Education Committee also passed a number of other bills Wednesday to change community college and public university operations, including bills that would tax university endowments and freeze tuition.

A majority of the bills discussed by the committee Wednesday came with amendments, including one attached to legislation that would allow community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees.While the original bill would have authorized all community colleges in Iowa to begin developing baccalaureate degrees, the amended legislation would create a pilot program in which only colleges that are 50 miles or more away from the main campus of a public university or the main campus of a private university already offering the same programs are allowed to start bachelor’s degree programs.

These degree programs must also meet certain requirements — they must lead to jobs in high-demand fields that have unmet workforce needs in the area, “as demonstrated by multiple workforce indicators” like job openings, wage data and more, the amendment stated. They also must fall under the areas of nursing, education, information technology, public safety, business, health care management, agriculture or dental hygiene. Community colleges would not be allowed to offer more than three bachelor’s degree programs, the amendment stated, and participating schools would need to submit reports to the Iowa Department of Education and the General Assembly showing enrollment, completion, workforce outcomes, alignment with regional workforce needs, tuition, challenges and more. Once the first students of community college baccalaureate programs start graduating, the General Assembly would examine the pilot program’s outcomes and decide if it needs to be changed or expanded.

House Study Bill 531, which would freeze tuition for all students from enactment until July 2031, was amended to strike references to mandatory fees, narrowing the legislation to just tuition.The bill, with an amendment, passed the committee.

House Study Bill 540, to make public universities responsible for a portion of defaulted educational loans of their graduates, also passed with amendments, and Committee chair Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, said during the committee he would be open to discussing further changes. The amendment changed the amount of liability from 25% of the amount owed to 10%.

House Study Bill 530, which would implement an 80% residency requirement for the University of Iowa’s nursing bachelor’s program, passed without amendment.