MHEC says HB 1244 program‑approval changes are on schedule, but duplication standards remain unsettled
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Summary
MHEC staff told the committee they have implemented key procedural elements of House Bill 1244 — including a workforce needs analysis, PRPAC advisory process and a graduate letter‑of‑intent step — but are still developing objective standards to determine when program duplication would cause 'harm' to students or the state.
Dr. Emily Dow, MHEC’s academic affairs lead, told the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee that the agency has implemented several major components of House Bill 1244 from the 2024 session but is still finalizing regulatory standards to determine when program duplication causes harm.
Dow said MHEC processed nearly 1,100 academic proposals over two calendar years and approved 182 new degree programs, 93 of which were in STEM or the state’s designated “lighthouse” sectors. She said HB 1244 formally integrates economic planning into program review through a unified workforce needs analysis developed with the departments of Labor and Commerce and published as appendices to the state plan.
Other HB 1244 changes already in place include a monthly Program Review Process Advisory Council (PRPAC) made up of presidents, provosts and faculty, and a letter‑of‑intent process for graduate programs (more than 50 letters processed since October 1). MHEC also raised the threshold for what constitutes a “substantial modification” of an existing program from 33% to 50% to allow institutions more rapid updates.
Despite procedural progress, lawmakers pressed MHEC about the central substantive standard in HB 1244: whether a proposed program duplicates an existing program and, if so, whether that duplication would cause “harm to the state or to students.” Dr. Dow said the agency is developing transparent, objective criteria — including employment outcomes, curricular overlap, and admissions criteria — for assessing duplication and harm, and that PRPAC is debating whether admissions requirements should factor into duplication determinations.
Committee members asked about training for the commission and campus partners. Dow said statewide training and an administrative guide are forthcoming; the commission’s chair said commissioners receive regular legal updates and the majority of program approval actions remain at staff level, with relatively few appeals to the commission.
MHEC asked for the committee’s guidance on the final regulatory standards and said it will return with draft regulations after PRPAC deliberations.