HB 1006: Thriving Institution Designations for Higher Education - Colorado

Final Act → Signed Act · 6 edits · Jun 3, 2026

MODERATE

This bill was finalized and signed into law, transitioning from a draft status to an official act. The text was cleaned up to remove internal drafting notes and standardized the formatting of section headers and definitions. Substantively, the bill establishes a new 'Thriving Institution' designation for public higher education schools based on student outcomes, but it explicitly states that receiving this designation does not guarantee additional state funding.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on designating public institutions of higher education as 'Thriving Institutions' based on performance metrics; no new institutions were added or excluded, and the core purpose of the designation remains unchanged.

TECHNICAL

Removed internal legislative notes regarding the Governor's signature and status tracking.

Standardized the formatting of section titles and removed inconsistent indentation from the text.

Added new definitions for 'Rural Campus' and 'Student Success Expert' to clarify terms used in the evaluation process.

Corrected formatting inconsistencies in the list of federal laws and accountability frameworks referenced in the definitions.

Inserted a new subsection clarifying that the 'Thriving Institution' designation does not create an entitlement to state funding.

REQUIREMENT

Added specific requirements for the outcome standards, mandating that they use existing data, utilize existing calculation methods, ensure statistical validity, and align with state workforce priorities.

Rerevised → Final Act · 5 edits · May 19, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was finalized with significant formatting updates, including the addition of a note for legislative officers and the inclusion of new sponsors. The core policy text remains consistent with the previous version, establishing a framework to designate 'thriving institutions' based on student outcomes rather than enrollment size. Key provisions define the criteria for these designations, require the Department of Higher Education to identify eligible institutions by December 2027, and explicitly state that receiving a designation does not guarantee additional state funding.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; the text defines the same criteria and procedures for designating thriving institutions of higher education.

TECHNICAL

Added a note instructing legislative officers and the Governor on how to verify the bill's status and signature.

Added a list of additional House and Senate sponsors to the bill header.

Included explanatory text regarding the use of capital letters and bold numbers to indicate new or deleted material in the statute.

Updated the bill's reading status and dates from 'Rerevised' to 'Final Act' and adjusted the reading date to May 1, 2026.

Reorganized the bill structure to remove the 'Bill Summary' section and replace it with the full statutory text.

Revised → Rerevised · 2 edits · May 1, 2026

MINOR

The bill was re-revised to include additional Senate sponsors and update the reading status to reflect amendments adopted in the Second House. Substantively, the text removed a section defining 'rural campus' and related data collection requirements, likely to streamline the bill or incorporate changes made during the legislative process.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding the definition of 'rural campus' and associated data collection obligations was removed.

DEFINITION

Deleted the definition of 'rural campus' and associated requirements for categorizing students and collecting data based on that definition.

TECHNICAL

Added names of new Senate sponsors (Amabile, Coleman, Cutter, Exum, Kipp, Kolker, Marchman) and updated the document header to indicate 'Rerevised' status and a specific Senate reading date.

Reengrossed → Revised · 5 edits · Apr 30, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was reclassified from 'Reengrossed' to 'Revised' to reflect amendments adopted during the second reading in the Senate. The most significant substantive change involves the definition of a 'rural campus,' shifting from a complex list of criteria (including specific enrollment rates and federal area designations) to a simpler standard based on geographic isolation, population density, community, student enrollment, or other factors determined by the Department.

Scope change

The scope of the 'rural campus' designation was narrowed and simplified by removing specific requirements for federal area designations and minimum student enrollment rates, replacing them with a broader, department-determined standard.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'rural campus' was changed from a multi-part list requiring specific federal designations and enrollment rates to a single criterion based on geographic isolation, population density, community, student enrollment, or other factors determined by the Department.

Removed the requirement that a campus must be located in a county designated as a nonmetropolitan or micropolitan area by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

Removed the requirement that a campus must enroll students who graduated from a rural or small rural school district at a rate determined by the Advisory Committee.

Added 'student enrollment' as a specific factor the Department can use to determine if a campus is rural.

Changed the decision-making authority for defining rural campuses from the 'Advisory Committee' to the 'Department'.

Engrossed → Reengrossed · 4 edits · Mar 25, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was reengrossed to include additional co-sponsors and updated the legislative status header. The most significant substantive change is the removal of two specific definitions: 'Student Success Expert' and 'Thriving Institution Designation.' This deletion indicates that the bill no longer relies on these specific roles or designations, likely because the language for them was moved to a different section or the concepts were redefined elsewhere in the full text.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding specific personnel roles and institutional designations has narrowed by removing the definitions for 'Student Success Expert' and 'Thriving Institution Designation.'

DEFINITION

Removed the definition of 'Student Success Expert,' which previously described an individual with expertise in helping historically underserved students complete credentials.

Removed the definition of 'Thriving Institution Designation,' which previously referred to a specific grant or status for public higher education institutions.

TECHNICAL

Added multiple new co-sponsors to the House sponsorship list.

Updated the header to reflect the bill is now 'Reengrossed' and included all amendments adopted in the House of Introduction.

Introduced → Engrossed · 3 edits · Mar 24, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to include amendments that update the definition of 'Labor Market Outcomes' to focus specifically on student income earnings rather than broader workforce results. Additionally, the criteria for designating a campus as 'Rural' were modified to include geographic isolation factors and rely on existing departmental data instead of requiring new determinations. A new committee, Appropriations, was added to the House sponsorship list.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding the definition of 'Rural Campus' was expanded to include campuses based on geographic isolation, population density, or community factors, in addition to existing location and enrollment criteria.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'Labor Market Outcomes' was changed to specifically mean 'the income earnings of students upon postsecondary-education completion' rather than general workforce results.

The definition of 'Rural Campus' was updated to include campuses located in geographically isolated areas or those with low population density, and the method for determining rural status was changed to use existing state or federal data.

REQUIREMENT

The House Appropriations committee was added to the list of House committees responsible for the bill.

Thriving Institution Designations for Higher Education

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