What changed in HF 440

4 passages reworded, 5 added and 13 removed; 6 of 28 unchanged.

Removed AddedIntroduced textText as passedAmendments

Compares wording only. The printed bills also mark changes to existing law with strikes and underlines, which aren’t shown here.

Section 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act shall be known and may be cited as the “College Affordability Act”.

Sec.

2. Section 262.9, subsection 19, paragraph a, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:

a. Not less than thirty days prior to action by the board on any proposal to increase tuition, fees, or charges at one or more of the institutions of higher education under its control, send written notification of the amount of the proposed increase including a copy of the proposed tuition increase docket memorandum prepared for its consideration to the presiding officers of the student government organization of the affected institutions. The final decision on an increase in tuition or mandatory fees charged to all students at an institution for a fiscal year shall be made at a regular meeting and shall be reflected in a final docket memorandum that states the estimated total cost of attending each of the institutions of higher education under the board’s control. The regular meeting shall be held in Ames, Cedar Falls, or Iowa City and shall not be held during a period in which classes have been suspended for university holiday or break. The final decision on an increase in tuition charged to all students at an institution for a fiscal year shall be made at a regular meeting held no later than December 31 April 30 of the previous fiscal year.

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3. Section 262.9, subsection 19, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new paragraph:

NEW PARAGRAPH.

d. Limit any annual increase in tuition or mandatory fees charged for a fiscal year to all students at an institution who are in-state residents to no more than three percent.

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4. 3. Section 262.9, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new subsections:

NEW SUBSECTION.

39. Direct each institution of higher education governed by the board to establish a policy whereby the tuition amount charged to students classified as residents that is charged to an undergraduate student in the student’s first academic year of enrollment, commencing with a first academic year of enrollment beginning in or after 2026, will not increase in the student’s subsequent academic years of undergraduate enrollment. For a student who begins their first academic year of undergraduate enrollment with sufficient academic transfer credits that the student can complete a baccalaureate degree program in less than four academic years, this requirement shall only apply for the number of academic years necessary for the student to complete a degree program with their academic transfer credits, rounded up. This subsection does not apply to any academic years beyond three consecutive academic years of undergraduate enrollment after a student’s first academic year of enrollment.

NEW SUBSECTION.

40. 39. Direct each institution of higher education governed by the board to begin efforts to offer at least one baccalaureate degree program that can be completed in three years by the academic year beginning in 2027. years.

NEW SUBSECTION.

41.

a. 40. Direct each institution of higher education governed by the board to establish, no later than the academic year beginning in 2027, a begin implementation of at least one work plus program in accordance with this subsection. The study program shall allow an undergraduate whereby a student to engage engages in part-time employment while pursuing a baccalaureate degree with the employer being financially responsible for the student’s tuition and mandatory fees during semesters of employment. in which the student is employed by the employer.

b. A student and employer participating in the program shall sign an agreement, in a form established by the institution, to comply with the requirements of this subsection. The agreement must provide the rights and responsibilities of the student and employer under the program. The agreement must include but not be limited to the following requirements:

(1) The student shall perform part-time work for the employer for at least one semester while enrolled at the institution.

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(2) The employer shall pay the student for such work as provided in chapter 91D.

4. INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION GOVERNED BY THE STATE BOARD OF REGENTS —— UNDERGRADUATE TUITION —— STUDY.

(3) The employer shall be financially responsible for all tuition and mandatory fees owed by the student during semesters in which the student is employed under the program.

1. The state board of regents shall conduct a study on establishing a policy whereby the tuition amount charged to students classified as residents that is charged to an undergraduate student in the student’s first academic year of enrollment will not increase in the student’s subsequent academic years of undergraduate enrollment for three consecutive academic years.

c. Each institution shall establish a registration process for employers participating in the program.

2. The study shall include projections of how much such a policy would increase enrollment at each of the institutions of higher education governed by the board, the technical feasibility of such a policy, the cost of implementation of such a policy, and the results of implementation of similar policies in other states.

d. The board may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this subsection.

3. The board shall submit a report on the results of the study to the governor and the general assembly no later than November 30, 2025.