HB26-1078 • 2026

Off-Campus Courses & Concurrent Enrollment Programs

Under current law, off-campus courses offered by institutions of higher education (off-campus courses) are excluded from concurrent enrollment programs, except when the off-campus courses are part of

Budget Education

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Rep. E. Hamrick, Rep. L. Smith, Sen. B. Kirkmeyer, Sen. J. Marchman, Sen. S. Bright
Last action: 2026-04-20
Official status: House Third Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The specific requirements for concurrent enrollment programs are not detailed in the provided official source material.

Expanding Off-Campus Courses in Concurrent Enrollment Programs

This bill allows off-campus courses offered by higher education institutions to be included in concurrent enrollment programs if they meet specific requirements.

What This Bill Does

Allows off-campus college courses to be part of concurrent enrollment programs, as long as the courses follow specific rules and are approved by a recognized accrediting agency.
Changes existing law that previously excluded most off-campus courses from concurrent enrollment programs.

Who It Names or Affects

Students who participate in concurrent enrollment programs, allowing them more options for college-level classes.
Higher education institutions offering off-campus courses that can now be included in concurrent enrollment programs.

Terms To Know

Concurrent Enrollment Programs: Programs where high school students can take college courses and earn both high school and college credit simultaneously.
Accrediting Agency: An organization that reviews educational programs to ensure they meet certain quality standards.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill only applies if the annual general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year becomes law.
Specific funding adjustments are made, but these may vary based on existing appropriations and conditions outlined in the bill.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

J.002

HOU Appropriations

Passed [*]

Plain English: The amendment adjusts state funding for higher education programs and adds new appropriations for the department of education in connection with public school finance and postsecondary workforce readiness.

Reduces the general fund appropriation by $80,178 for fee-for-service contracts related to the college opportunity fund program.
Decreases reappropriated funds by $80,178 that the University of Colorado receives from these same fee-for-service contracts.
Appropriates $66,056 to the department of education from the general fund for specific administrative purposes.

The exact impact on state fiscal year budgets is not fully detailed in the amendment text and may depend on additional legislative actions.

L.001

HOU Education

Passed [*]

Plain English: The amendment changes the phrase 'that is recognized under federal law' to 'recognized by the United States Department of Education'.

Changes the wording from 'that is recognized under federal law' to 'recognized by the United States Department of Education'.

L.003

Second Reading

Passed [**]

Plain English: The amendment changes when a specific part of the bill becomes effective.

Changes the effective date for section 2 of the bill to be contingent upon certain conditions, while other parts of the bill take effect immediately after passage.

The exact conditions under which section 2 will become effective are not specified in the provided amendment text.
The full context and implications of this change are unclear without additional information about what 'section 2' entails.

Bill History

2026-04-20 House
House Third Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments
2026-04-17 House
House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee, Floor
2026-04-17 House
House Committee on Appropriations Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole
2026-02-25 House
House Committee on Education Refer Amended to Appropriations
2026-02-02 House
Introduced In House - Assigned to Education

Official Summary Text

Under current law, off-campus courses offered by institutions of higher education (off-campus courses) are excluded from concurrent enrollment programs, except when the off-campus courses are part of the teacher recruitment education and preparation (TREP) program. The bill allows off-campus courses to be included in concurrent enrollment programs when the off-campus courses meet the requirements for concurrent enrollment programs and the requirements of an accrediting agency recognized under federal law.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Second Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
ENGROSSED
This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted
on Second Reading in the House of Introduction
LLS NO. 26-0429.01 Lindy Schaible x4215 HOUSE BILL 26-1078
House Committees Senate Committees
Education
Appropriations
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING INCREASING THE NUMBER OF OFF -CAMPUS COURSES101
OFFERED BY INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO STUDENTS102
IN CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS, AND, IN CONNECTION103
THEREWITH, MAKING AND REDUCING AN APPROPRIATION.104
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill w ill be av ailable at
http://leg.colorado.gov.)
Under current law, off-campus courses offered by institutions of
higher education (off-campus courses) are excluded from concurrent
enrollment programs, except when the off-campus courses are part of the
HOUSE
Amended 2nd Reading
April 17, 2026
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Smith and Hamrick,
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Marchman and Kirkmeyer, Bright
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
teacher recruitment education and preparation (TREP) program. The bill
allows off-campus courses to be included in concurrent enrollment
programs when the off-campus courses meet the requirements for
concurrent enrollment programs and the requirements of an accrediting
agency recognized under federal law.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 22-35-110, amend2
(1) as follows:3
22-35-110. Exclusions.4
(1) Except for courses offered as part of the TREP program5
pursuant to section 22-35-108.5, This article 35 does not apply to any A6
course that is offered as part of a program of off-campus instruction7
established pursuant to section 23-1-109 (1) to (5) UNLESS THE COURSE8
OFFERED MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS OF THIS ARTICLE 35 AND THE9
REQUIREMENTS OF AN ACCREDITING AGENCY RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED10
STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.11
SECTION 2. Appropriation - adjustments to 2026 long bill.12
(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, to implement this13
act, appropriations made in the annual general appropriation act for the14
2026-27 state fiscal year to the department of higher education are15
adjusted as follows:16
(a) The general fund appropriation for the college opportunity17
fund program to be used for fee-for-service contracts with state18
institutions pursuant to section 23-18-303.5, C.R.S., is decreased by19
$80,178; and20
(b) The reappropriated funds appropriation for the regents of the21
university of Colorado received from the fee-for-service contracts with22
state institutions pursuant to section 23-18-303.5, C.R.S., under23
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subsection (1)(a) of this section is decreased by $80,178.1
(2) Subsection (1) of this section does not require a reduction of2
an appropriation in the annual general appropriation act for the 2026-273
state fiscal year if:4
(a) The amount of the general fund appropriation made in the5
annual general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year to the6
department of higher education for the college opportunity fund program7
to be used for fee-for-service contracts with state institutions pursuant to8
section 23-18-303.5, C.R.S., is less than the amount of the adjustment9
required in subsection (1)(a) of this section; or10
(b) The annua l general appropriation act for the 2026-27 state11
fiscal year does not include an appropriation to the department of higher12
education for the college opportunity fund program to be used for13
fee-for-service contracts with state institutions pursuant to section14
23-18-303.5, C.R.S.15
SECTION 3. Appropriation. (1) For the 2026-27 state fiscal16
year, $66,056 is appropriated to the department of education. This17
appropriation is from the general fund. To implement this act, the18
department may use this appropriation as follows:19
(a) $21,685 for use by school district operations for administration20
related to public school finance, which amount is based on an assumption21
that the division will require an additional 0.2 FTE; and 22
(b) $44,371 for use by student pathways for postsecondary23
workforce readiness administration, which amount is based on an24
assumption that the division will require an additional 0.4 FTE.25
SECTION4. Effective date. This act takes effect upon passage;26
except that section 2 of this act takes effect only if the annual general27
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appropriation act for the 2026-27 state fiscal year becomes law, in which1
case section 2 takes effect upon the effective date of this act or of the2
annual general appropriation act for state fiscal year 2026-27, whichever3
is later.4
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