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Committee advances bill to broaden accreditors for Louisiana public colleges
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Summary
SB304 would remove the statutory requirement that Louisiana public colleges and universities be accredited specifically by SACSCOC, allowing institutions to petition management boards to change accreditors and preserving programmatic specialized accreditors. The committee adopted amendment 18‑07 and reported the bill favorably.
Senate Bill 304, sponsored as part of a higher education reform package, would amend state law to allow Louisiana public postsecondary institutions more choice in selecting accreditors rather than being limited to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The author offered amendment 18‑07 to preserve specialized programmatic accreditation for professional units such as medical and veterinary schools.
Dr. Kim Hunter Reed and Kate Brumley (Louisiana Department of Education) described the bill as aligning state statute with recent U.S. Department of Education changes that allow more competition among accreditors and as a product of a governor‑appointed task force on higher education reform. Brumley told the committee the task force unanimously approved recommendations to broaden options, reduce administrative burden, and increase transparency.
The committee adopted the amendment aimed at protecting programmatic accreditors and reported SB304 favorably with no objections.
