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Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri House Bill 2577 Modifies Community College Baccalaureate Degree Criteria and Workforce Shortage Rules
Last action · May 15, 2026: Referred: Emerging Issues(H)Sponsor: Brad Banderman
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What This Bill Would Do
House Bill 2577 modifies the statutory criteria under which Missouri community colleges may offer baccalaureate degrees, removing prior feasibility collaboration requirements and aligning offerings with documented s determined by the Missouri economic research and information center.
Changes the legal conditions under which public community colleges can expand educational credentials into four-year degrees, potentially altering degree availability for students and altering staffing pipelines in designated shortage fields.
- Community colleges in Missouri operate under statutory frameworks governing state funding distributions, local tax districts, and degree-granting authority overseen by the coordinating board for higher education. context
- The Missouri Economic Research and Information Center provides state labor market data, economic research, and industry employment projections used in state workforce planning. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Community colleges
Community colleges gain revised criteria and approval pathways for offering baccalaureate degrees and receive state funding allocations based on operating costs and performance measures.
Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development
The department is responsible for reviewing institutional budget requests, specifying operating cost accounting methods, recommending resource allocation models, and evaluating model effectiveness.
Coordinating Board for Higher Education
The board is authorized to approve baccalaureate degree programs at community colleges and approve resource allocation models.
Key Facts
- Community colleges may offer baccalaureate degrees when authorized by the coordinating board for higher education due to persistent workforce shortages, increased accreditation licensure requirements, or applied bachelor's degree employment needs.
- The bill removes previous statutory language requiring proof that university collaboration was not feasible before offering certain baccalaureate programs.
- A workforce shortage is defined as a determination by the Missouri economic research and information center that job vacancies exceed available workers in a specific industry.
- Public community colleges remain eligible to receive state funding up to fifty percent of planned operating costs as determined by the department of higher education and workforce development.
Show all 7 facts
- At least ninety percent of any increase in core funding over the previous fiscal year is distributed based on performance-funding measures under section 173.1006.
- Community college districts are eligible to receive an annual appropriation for maintenance, repair, and equipment projects not to exceed ten percent of the state operating appropriations from the most recently completed fiscal year.
- The state treasurer may wire transfer distributed state aid directly to a community college's designated deposit account upon request.
Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions allow a community college to offer a baccalaureate degree under this bill?
How is a workforce shortage officially determined?
Are community colleges eligible for funding beyond standard operating costs?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
4 actions- May 15, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Emerging Issues(H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseFloorRead Second Time (H)
- Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroducedRead First Time (H)
- Dec 23, 2025HouseIntroducedPrefiled (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Relaxation of University Collaboration Mandates
The legislation removes previous statutory hurdles requiring community colleges to prove university collaboration was unfeasible before launching independent baccalaureate programs.
Connected Entities
Sources
house.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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