Yesterday marked the deadline for policy bills. All policy bills, unless they are deemed necessary to implement the budget (NTIB), must have moved from their respective policy committees to either an appropriation committee or the floor in the opposite chamber.

Both the Senate and House higher education committees have spent the last few weeks advancing bills to the next stage in the process.

Below is a brief glimpse of some of the bills that have advanced past today’s deadline.

• HB 1138: Creating a task force on mental health and suicide prevention in higher education – Senate Ways & Means
• HB 1696: Returns tuition-setting authority for resident undergraduate students to the operating budget – Senate Ways & Means
• HB 1825: Aligns state residency policies with federal policies – Senate Ways & Means
• SB 5133: Creates a review of higher education costs – House Appropriations
• SB 5328: Changes the dissemination of financial aid information – House Rules
• SB 5638: Modifies the requirements of the State Need Grant program to make the grant available to students enrolled or accepted for enrollment at a qualifying institution of higher education for at least three quarter credits, or the equivalent semester credits – House Rules

The bills that advanced this week from the policy committees, if moved to a fisacl committee, must move from committee to the floor by the end of the day on April 7.  Stay tuned!