The House Higher Education Committee approved a bill Tuesday that would eliminate much of the paperwork some colleges must file to renew their licenses to operate in Georgia.
House Bill 792 would apply to well-established colleges that are accredited and have been in Georgia for five years, said the bill's sponsor, Rep. David Casas, R-Lilburn. The colleges would still have to pay annual fees to the Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission, which authorizes for-profit colleges and other schools.
The group licenses nearly 300 colleges in Georgia, including DeVry University, the University of Phoenix and the Art Institute of Atlanta.
Bill Crews, executive director of the commission, worried the bill may have "unintended consequences" and asked for time to work with Casas. The annual renewal process is purposely daunting to make sure colleges are educationally sound and financially viable, he said.
For-profit colleges are under scrutiny as federal officials and others question the recruiting practices, tuition rates and degree programs at some schools.
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