First Regular Session
             Sixty-seventh General Assembly
                    STATE OF COLORADO
                                                 INTRODUCED
                                                           
                                                           
 LLS NO. 09-0558.01 Richard Sweetman     SENATE BILL 09-045
                   SENATE SPONSORSHIP
 King K., 
 
                    HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
 Middleton, 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Senate Committees
 House Committees
 
 
 Education
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                         A BILL FOR AN ACT
       Concerning agreements between postsecondary students and
            Colorado public institutions of higher education
            concerning the transferability of academic credits
            between institutions.
       
       
                           Bill Summary
       
            (Note:  This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
       not necessarily reflect any amendments that may be subsequently
       adopted.)
       
            Requires the Colorado commission on higher education to
       establish articulation agreements for a certain number of baccalaureate
       degree programs by a certain date.  Defines "articulation agreement" as
       a written agreement between a student and a Colorado public institution
       of higher education (institution) that formalizes a plan for the student to
       complete a 60-credit curriculum and ensures the student that, if he or she
       completes the curriculum, he or she shall be required to take no more than
       60 additional credits at any institution to complete the curricular
       requirements for a particular 120-hour baccalaureate degree.  Requires
       each institution to make articulation agreements available to students.
       
       
       
       Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
            SECTION 1.  23-1-125 (1) (b) and (2), Colorado Revised
       Statutes, are amended to read:
            23-1-125.  Commission directive - student bill of rights - degree
       requirements - implementation of core courses - competency test. 
       (1)  Student bill of rights.  The general assembly hereby finds that
       students enrolled in public institutions of higher education shall have the
       following rights:
            (b)  A student can sign a two-year or four-year graduation an
       articulation agreement pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection
       (2) of this section that formalizes a plan for that student to obtain a
       degree in two or four years; unless there are additional degree
       requirements recognized by the commission;
            (2)  Degree requirements - articulation agreements.  (a)  The
       commission shall establish a standard of a one-hundred-twenty-hour
       baccalaureate degree, not including specific professional degree programs
       that have additional degree requirements recognized by the commission.
            (b) (I)  On or before July 1, 2011, the commission, in
       consultation with the state board for community colleges and
       occupational education and each Colorado public institution of
       higher education, shall establish an articulation agreement for
       each of at least five baccalaureate degree programs, which
       articulation agreements shall be made available to incoming
       students by each Colorado public institution of higher
       education.  Each articulation agreement shall be associated
       with a different one-hundred-twenty-hour baccalaureate
       degree program.  On or before July 1, 2012, and on or before July
       1 each of the five years thereafter, the commission shall
       establish one or more such articulation agreements for
       additional baccalaureate degree programs.
            (II)  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise
       requires, "articulation agreement" means a written agreement
       between a student and a Colorado public institution of higher
       education that:
            (A)  Formalizes a plan for a student to complete a
       sixty-credit curriculum; and
            (B)  Ensures the student that, if he or she completes the
       curriculum, he or she shall be required to take no more than
       sixty additional credits at any Colorado public institution of
       higher education to complete the curricular requirements for
       a particular one-hundred-twenty-hour baccalaureate degree.
            SECTION 2.  Act subject to petition - effective date.  This act
       shall take effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the
       ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly that is
       allowed for submitting a referendum petition pursuant to article V,
       section 1 (3) of the state constitution, (August 4, 2009, if adjournment
       sine die is on May 6, 2009); except that, if a referendum petition is filed
       against this act or an item, section, or part of this act within such period,
       then the act, item, section, or part, if approved by the people, shall take
       effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by
       proclamation of the governor.