COMM. COLLEGE; NURSING ED. PROGRAM S.B. 1055:
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 1055 (as reported without amendment)
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Community College Act to allow a board of trustees of a community college district to establish a nursing education program that granted bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degrees and specify the requirements for the establishment and operation of a community college BSN degree program.
All of the following would apply to the establishment and operation of a BSN degree program: a) the board of trustees could not eliminate any associate degree programs the community college offered at the time it established a BSN degree unless the board demonstrated that there was a lack of student demand for the associate degree; b) the community college could not operate an educational program that granted BSN degrees unless the program was determined to meet the requirements set forth in Section 17241 of the Public Health Code; and c) before the community college began offering BSN degrees, and while it offered those degrees, it would have to hold a national professional nursing accreditation, hold candidacy status for that accreditation, or have applied for that accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education or its successors or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing or its successors.
MCL 389.105 & 389.121 Legislative Analyst: Stephen Jackson
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no direct fiscal impact on community colleges and no fiscal impact on the State or local units of government. Community colleges would be allowed to establish a BSN degree program under the bill, but as the bill would not require colleges to do so, the bill itself would have no direct fiscal impact on Michigan community colleges.
If a community college pursued the establishment of a BSN degree program, it would incur a number of new ongoing and one-time costs. One-time costs could include items such as the construction of new facilities, renovation of existing facilities, technology purchases, and likely others. Ongoing costs would include compensation for new faculty, utilities and maintenance on any new facilities or technology purchases, course development and other such costs. These new costs could be offset by a higher tuition rate for the upper-division courses that students in the new bachelor's degree programs would take their third and fourth years in the program. This type of stratified tuition is typical at community colleges that offer other bachelor's degree programs allowed under statute. It is unknown whether a higher tuition level would be sufficient to offset the costs related to establishing and operating a BSN program. If it were not, excess costs presumably would be absorbed by other existing revenue sources for the college, such as tuition from other programs, operation millage revenue, and State aid.
Date Completed: 9-29-20 Fiscal Analyst: Josh Sefton
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.