Date: 04/16/2012

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB12-1214

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Adopt prepared Amendment L.002 (Attachment C). The
Refer House Bill 12-1214, as amended, to the House		Pass Without Objection
PASS



02:06 PM -- House Bill 12-1214

Representative Becker, sponsor of House Bill 12-1214, presented the bill. The bill allows a community college to offer a two-year degree program with academic designation in nursing or dental hygiene without a valid student transfer agreement.

Academic designation permits a student to choose an academic major while pursuing his or her associate's degree in order to ease transfer between a two-year college and a four-year college. Under current law, an associate's degree with academic designation may only be offered for degree programs that have a valid student transfer agreement.

Community colleges seeking to add academic designation to a degree program must get approval from the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (SBCCOE), and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE). Junior colleges seeking to add academic designation to a program must get approval from the school's board of trustees and the CCHE.

Representative Becker distributed Amendment L.002 (Attachment C) and stated that the amendment removes nursing from the provisions of the bill.

HseEd0416AttachC.pdf

02:07 PM

Representative Young asked about student transfer agreements. Representative Becker responded, describing transfer agreements. He added that there is not currently a dental hygienist transfer agreement in place, so it must be addressed through legislation.

The following persons testified:

02:08 PM -- Dr. Geri Anderson, Vice Provost for the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) and interim President of the Community College of Aurora (CCA), testified in support of the bill. Dr. Anderson began by saying that student transfer agreements have been wonderful for the students of Colorado. Dr. Anderson stated that there are no four-year dental hygienist programs in Colorado, but that the bill will only impact a small number of students. She described the technical degree that is currently available in Colorado for dental hygiene, and stated that four-year institutions do not accept the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree because they see it as a terminal degree at the two-year schools. She stated that if students change their career path and choose to go into another program, then this bill will allow their AAS degree to transfer so that they do not have to repeat the core courses. She added that the bill does not add or delete courses from the dental hygiene program.

Representative Hamner asked about the difference between a four-year and two-year degree in dental hygiene. Dr. Anderson responded.

02:12 PM -- Laura Jacob, representing the Colorado Dental Hygienists Association, testified in support of the bill. She stated that association supports the bill.
BILL:HB12-1214
TIME: 02:13:13 PM
MOVED:Massey
MOTION:Adopt prepared Amendment L.002 (Attachment C). The motion passed without objection.
SECONDED:Holbert
VOTE
Hamner
Holbert
Joshi
Murray
Peniston
Ramirez
Schafer S.
Solano
Summers
Todd
Young
Beezley
Massey
YES: 0 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: Pass Without Objection


BILL:HB12-1214
TIME: 02:13:46 PM
MOVED:Todd
MOTION:Refer House Bill 12-1214, as amended, to the House Committee of the Whole. The motion passed on a roll call vote of 12-0.
SECONDED:Murray
VOTE
Hamner
Yes
Holbert
Yes
Joshi
Yes
Murray
Yes
Peniston
Yes
Ramirez
Excused
Schafer S.
Yes
Solano
Yes
Summers
Yes
Todd
Yes
Young
Yes
Beezley
Yes
Massey
Yes
Final YES: 12 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS


02:14 PM

The committee took a brief recess to locate the next bill's sponsor.