HB 3024: Guaranteed course transfer bill - West Virginia

hb3024 s ed am _1 4-3 adopted.htm → hb3024 sfat grady _1 4-8 adopted.htm · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to change the sponsor from the Education Committee to Senator Grady and to significantly expand the scope of the legislation. The original version focused on general credit transfer between institutions, while the new version establishes a comprehensive statewide guaranteed transfer and articulation system with specific requirements for career pathways, dual enrollment, and guaranteed admission for associate degree holders.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from general credit transfer provisions to include specific guaranteed transfer pathways for career programs, mandatory acceptance of approved pathways by all public institutions, and establishment of a new advisory committee with defined membership requirements.

ENFORCEMENT

Changed the amendment sponsor from the Committee on Education to Senator Grady, indicating a shift in legislative sponsorship and potentially different policy priorities.

REQUIREMENT

Added mandatory requirements for guaranteed transfer pathways including 60-hour associate degrees that transfer fully to baccalaureate programs, with automatic admission and priority enrollment for graduates.

Established a new statewide guaranteed transfer and articulation advisory committee with specific membership requirements and authority to make recommendations to the commission and council.

Included specific requirements for dual enrollment courses completed in high school to be recognized as college credit when part of approved transfer pathways.

Added provisions for acceptance of credits from competency-based education and prior learning assessments by public institutions of higher education.

ELIGIBILITY

Added provisions ensuring graduates of approved associate degree programs are not required to take additional general education courses and are automatically admitted to public baccalaureate institutions.

Committee Substitute → hb3024 s ed am _1 4-3 adopted.htm · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to replace the original text with a new version that establishes stronger guaranteed transfer requirements for community college graduates. The new version adds specific protections for associate degree holders, including automatic admission to public baccalaureate institutions, priority enrollment over out-of-state students, and assurance that no additional general education courses will be required.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from general transfer recommendations to mandatory statewide transfer pathways with specific protections for community college graduates transferring to public universities.

REQUIREMENT

New requirement that every community and technical college graduate with an approved associate degree must be automatically admitted to any public baccalaureate institution offering the program, with priority enrollment over out-of-state students.

New provision guaranteeing that approved associate degree graduates transferring to public baccalaureate institutions will not need to take any additional general education courses to complete their bachelor's degree.

New requirement that guaranteed transfer pathways must consist of exactly 60 hours of instruction that transfer in full toward bachelor's degree requirements.

New inclusion of dual enrollment courses from high school and career centers as part of approved guaranteed transfer pathways.

New provision accepting credits from accelerated programs including dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and College-Level Examination programs.

New requirement for consistent acceptance of competency-based education and prior learning assessment credits by public institutions.

TIMELINE

Original reporting deadlines of December 1, 2015 and December 1, 2017 were removed and replaced with new rulemaking requirements under existing code sections.

Enrolled Committee Substitute → Committee Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from an enrolled committee substitute (passed version) back to the original committee substitute version, restoring the original text before final passage. The primary substantive change is the reversion of the bill number from HB 3024 to §18B-14-2 and the removal of the 'Enrolled' status, indicating this is the version before final legislative approval. The core policy content regarding guaranteed transfer pathways remains substantially similar, though some specific language and formatting differences exist between the two versions.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on guaranteed transfer of credit between high schools, career and technical education centers, community and technical colleges, and baccalaureate institutions in West Virginia. The scope of applicability to public institutions and the requirements for guaranteed transfer pathways remain consistent between versions.

TECHNICAL

The bill number designation changed from §18B-14-5 in the enrolled version back to §18B-14-2 in the committee substitute version.

The 'Enrolled' status and effective date (90 days from passage, July 9, 2025) were removed as this is the version before final passage.

REQUIREMENT

The enrolled version contained additional specific requirements about private institution consultation and reporting deadlines to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability that were not present in the committee substitute version.

The enrolled version included more detailed provisions about the appeals process for credit transfer disagreements and specific requirements for resubmitting denied transfer requests.

The enrolled version had additional language about the commission and council reporting recommendations on public and private higher education institutions to the Legislative Oversight Commission by specific deadlines (December 1, 2015 and 2017).

Engrossed Committee Substitute → Enrolled Committee Substitute · 4 edits · Apr 30, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was finalized into its enrolled version, changing the session date from February 2025 to April 2025 and adding an effective date of 90 days after passage. The substantive policy content was streamlined and reorganized, removing detailed legislative findings and replacing them with a more concise structure. Key provisions regarding guaranteed credit transfer, advisory committee composition, and specific transfer pathway requirements remain largely intact but were reformatted for the final enrolled version.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on guaranteed credit transfer between high schools, career and technical education centers, community and technical colleges, and baccalaureate institutions in West Virginia. No substantive change to the applicability or target institutions was made.

TIMELINE

The bill's introduction date was updated from February 27, 2025 to April 10, 2025, and an effective date of 90 days from passage (July 9, 2025) was added.

REQUIREMENT

Detailed legislative findings were removed and replaced with a more concise statement of purpose, while core transfer requirements and committee structures were preserved.

The section number was changed from §18B-14-2 to a new section §18B-14-5, indicating this is an addition to the existing code rather than an amendment to the previous section.

TECHNICAL

The bill was reorganized from an 'Engrossed Committee Substitute' format to an 'Enrolled Committee Substitute' format, adding certification language and signature lines for legislative clerks and the Governor.

Introduced Version → Engrossed Committee Substitute · 5 edits · Apr 10, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was significantly rewritten and expanded from its original introduced version to the engrossed committee substitute. The new version adds detailed requirements for guaranteed transfer pathways, including specific guarantees for associate degree holders, priority enrollment for graduates, and provisions for competency-based education. It also introduces new sections on dual enrollment courses and industry credentials, while streamlining the legislative text and removing navigation elements from the original draft.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from general transfer recommendations to include specific guaranteed transfer pathways, priority enrollment provisions, and expanded coverage of competency-based education and dual enrollment programs.

REQUIREMENT

Added specific guarantees for associate degree holders to receive automatic admission and priority enrollment at public baccalaureate institutions.

Added provisions requiring guaranteed transfer pathways to include dual enrollment courses and industry credentials/microcredentials.

Added new requirements for competency-based education and prior learning assessments to be consistently accepted by public institutions.

ENFORCEMENT

Added provisions allowing the commission and council to approve exceptions to transfer requirements under specific hardship circumstances.

TECHNICAL

Removed navigation elements, website links, and formatting artifacts from the original introduced version.

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