SB 922 — AN ACT PROHIBITING AN INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION FROM WITHHOLDING TRANSCRIPTS.

Substitute Senate GeneralBill Assembly File No.

98922 JanuaryPublic Session,Act 2023 Substitute Senate Bill No.

92223-14 Senate,AN MarchACT 16,PROHIBITING 2023AN TheINSTITUTION CommitteeOF onHIGHER HigherEDUCATION EducationFROM andWITHHOLDING EmploymentTRANSCRIPTS. Advancement reported through SEN.

SLAP of the 5th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT PROHIBITING AN INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION FROM WITHHOLDING TRANSCRIPTS.

(NEW) (Effective JulyOctober 1, 2023) (a) As used in this section, "debt" means an obligation, claim or sum that is due or alleged to be due to an institution of higher education from a student.

(b) No institution of higher education in the state shall (1) upon receiving a request or permission to provide a transcript from a student who is currently or was formerly enrolled at such institution, refuse to provide a transcript to an employer or prospective employer of such student or to any branch of the military service of the United States because such student owes a debt, (2) condition the provision of a transcript to an employer, prospective employer or any branch of the military service of theUnited States on the payment of a debt, (3) charge sSB922a /fee Filefor the provision of a transcript to an employer, prospective employer or any branch of the military service of the United States that is higher than the actual cost of providing the transcript because such student owes a debt, or (4) use the provision of a transcript to an employer, prospective employer or any branch of the military service of Substitute Senate Bill No.

98922 1the sSB922United FileStates No.as a method to collect a debt.

98Approved aJune fee7, for2023 thePublic provisionAct ofNo. a transcript to an employer, prospective employer or any branch of the military service of the United States that is higher than the actual cost of providing the transcript because such student owes a debt, or (4) use the provision of a transcript to an employer, prospective employer or any branch of the military service of the United States as a method to collect a debt.

This23-14 act2 shallof take2 effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:

Section 1 July 1, 2023 New section Statement of Legislative Commissioners:

In Subsec.

(b)(1), "to provide a transcript" was added after "permission" for clarity, and in Subsec.

(b)(4), "issuance" was changed to "provision" for internal consistency.

HED Joint Favorable Subst.

-LCO sSB922 / File No.

98 2 sSB922 File No.

98 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 24 $ FY 25 $ Board of Regents for Higher Other - Revenue Minimal Minimal Education Loss Uconn Other - Revenue See Below See Below Loss Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill, which establishes requirements regarding postsecondary transcripts sought by employers or potential employers, is anticipated to result in an annual revenue loss to the University of Connecticut and the Board of Regents beginning in FY 24.

The bill is likely to reduce the amount of debt from current and past students that institutions collect.

The University of Connecticut currently requires students to pay off institutional debts, or in some cases to make progress payments, before a transcript is issued for any reason, while the Board of Regents institutions may release transcripts directly to employers when a student has debt.

The bill requires all institutions of higher education to provide a transcript to an employer or prospective employer:

(1) regardless of any student debt to the institution,and(2)onthesame termsasothertranscript requestsrelated to students who do not owe the institution.

The extent of the constituent units' revenue loss associated with the bill depends on to what extent employer-driven transcript needs currently result in students paying off institutional debt, which is sSB922 / File No.

98 3 sSB922 File No.

98 unknown.

The impact to the Board of Regents institutions is likely to be minimal, given current practices, while the impact to the University of Connecticut may be higher but cannot be determined.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation in transcript fees, changes in the number of transcript requests for employment reasons, and the level of institutional debt held by students.

sSB922 / File No.

98 4 sSB922 File No.

98 OLR Bill Analysis sSB 922 AN ACT PROHIBITING AN INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION FROM WITHHOLDING TRANSCRIPTS.

SUMMARY This bill generally prohibits Connecticut higher education institutions from withholding a student’s transcript from a student’s employer, prospective employer, or a branch of the U.S.

military because the student owes the institution a debt.

Specifically, under the bill, Connecticut higher education institutions cannot:

1.