HB0231 • 2021

College credit retention.

AN ACT relating to post-secondary education; creating provisions governing how previously completed coursework may be used to earn a post-secondary degree or certificate; authorizing a student petition process; and providing for an effective date.

Education

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Representative MacGuire
Last action: 2021-04-12
Official status: enrolled
Effective date: 7/1/2021

Plain English Breakdown

The summary provided by the candidate explanation matches the official bill text closely, with no unsupported claims removed.

College Credit Retention Act

This law requires Wyoming's state-funded colleges and universities to accept previously earned college credits from other Wyoming institutions, with some exceptions.

What This Bill Does

Requires all Wyoming public colleges and universities receiving funding from the state of Wyoming to accept any college-level credit hour completed at another Wyoming institution if the student got an acceptable grade.
Allows an institution to reject a credit only if there is a lack of demonstrable applicability to the current educational standards of that school.
Prohibits institutions from rejecting credits just because they were earned long ago.
Requires each institution to create policies for accepting and handling appeals on rejected credits.

Who It Names or Affects

Students who have completed college courses at one Wyoming institution and want to use those credits at another.
Wyoming public colleges and universities that receive state funding.

Terms To Know

college-level credit: A unit of academic achievement earned by completing a course or program at an accredited college or university.
applicability: The relevance and usefulness of a previously completed course to current educational standards.

Limits and Unknowns

Institutions can still reject credits if they do not fit the current educational standards, even if the student got an acceptable grade.
It is unclear how many students will benefit from this law or what impact it will have on college costs and enrollment.

Amendments

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

HB0231HS001

Standing Committee • House Education Committee

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes how a college or university decides if previously completed coursework can count towards earning a degree or certificate by adding rules about who can make this decision.

Adds that the person deciding whether to accept previous coursework for credit cannot be the same person or group that made the initial decision.

The amendment does not provide details on how the new designee will be chosen or what their qualifications are.

HB0231S2001

2nd reading • Senator Kost

Failed

Plain English: The amendment changes how previously earned college credits can be used towards earning a degree or certificate.

Removes the phrase 'in perpetuity' which means there is no longer an indefinite time limit for using old credits.
Eliminates specific lines that detail certain conditions under which credits are accepted.
Adds new rules allowing colleges to reject previously earned credits if they have a transfer expiration period or if individual courses cannot be reasonably compared with current catalog offerings.

The exact impact of removing detailed conditions is unclear without knowing the content of those lines.

HB0231S3001

3rd reading • Senator Nethercott

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes how Wyoming's colleges and universities must handle previously completed coursework from other Wyoming institutions.

Removes the original language about how previously completed coursework is handled.
Adds new rules requiring Wyoming higher education institutions to accept college-level credits with acceptable grades from any other Wyoming institution, unless there is a clear reason why the credit does not fit current educational standards.
Requires each institution to create policies for implementing these rules and include an appeals process for students who are denied acceptance of their college-level credits.

The amendment text does not specify what constitutes 'acceptable grades' or provide further details on the appeals process, leaving some aspects undefined.

Bill History

2021-04-12 LSO
Assigned Chapter Number 146
2021-04-12 Governor
Governor Signed HEA No. 0083
2021-04-06 Senate
S President Signed HEA No. 0083
2021-04-06 House
H Speaker Signed HEA No. 0083
2021-04-06 LSO
Assigned Number HEA No. 0083
2021-04-06 House
H Concur:Passed 57-0-3-0-0
2021-04-06 House
H Received for Concurrence
2021-04-02 Senate
S 3rd Reading:Passed 19-9-2-0-0
2021-04-01 Senate
S 2nd Reading:Passed
2021-03-31 Senate
S COW:Passed
2021-03-31 Senate
S Placed on General File
2021-03-31 Senate
S04 - Education:Recommend Do Pass 4-0-0-1-0
2021-03-26 Senate
S Introduced and Referred to S04 - Education
2021-03-26 Senate
S Received for Introduction
2021-03-24 House
H 3rd Reading:Passed 60-0-0-0-0
2021-03-23 House
H 2nd Reading:Passed
2021-03-22 House
H COW:Passed
2021-03-18 House
H Placed on General File
2021-03-18 House
H04 - Education:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 9-0-0-0-0
2021-03-05 House
H Introduced and Referred to H04 - Education
2021-03-04 House
H Received for Introduction
2021-03-03 LSO
Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 21LSO-0147
Bill No.:

HB0231

Effective:

7/1/2021 12:00:00 AM

LSO No.:

21LSO-0147

Enrolled Act No.:

HEA No. 0083

Chapter No.:

146

Prime Sponsor:

MacGuire

Catch Title:

College credit retention.

Subject:

Retention of college credits

Summary/Major Elements:

This act applies to all Wyoming institutions of higher education receiving funding from the state of Wyoming.

The act requires these institutions to accept any college level credit hour previously completed with an acceptable grade at any other Wyoming institution of higher education.

An institution may reject a credit hour only if there is a lack of demonstrable applicability to the current educational standards of the institution.

Each institution must establish appropriate policies to implement this act, which must include an appeal process for students.
The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

21LSO-0147

ORIGINAL House

ENGROSSED
Bill No
.
HB0231

ENROLLED ACT NO. 83,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2021 General Session

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 21
‑
16
‑
1701 is created to read:

ARTICLE 17
COLLEGE CREDIT RETENTION

21
‑
16
‑
1701.

Presumption relating to previously taken courses; hearing.

Any Wyoming institution of higher education receiving funding from the state of Wyoming shall accept as valid and transferrable any college level credit hour previously completed with an acceptable grade in any other Wyoming institution of higher education.

An institution of higher education may decline to accept a credit hour only if there is a lack of demonstrable applicability to the current educational standards of the institution.

The length of time since completion of the credit hour, without more, shall not demonstrate a lack of applicability. Each institution of higher education shall establish appropriate policies to implement this section, which shall include an appeals process available to persons who are denied acceptance of a college level credit hour.

Section 2
.

This act is effective July 1, 2021
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.

Chief Clerk