The committee held a public hearing on House Bill 3,027, which would permit the Higher Education Coordinating Commission’s private career school unit to seek injunctions in circuit court when a private career school fails to meet licensing or consumer protection standards.

Ellen (staff member) introduced the bill summary. Kyle Thomas, director of legislative and policy affairs for HEC, said the private career school unit licenses and oversees about 180–200 nondegree, often small, private career schools (examples he gave include phlebotomy and tax-preparation programs). The unit enforces academic standards, instructor credentialing, financial standing and requires schools to pay into a tuition protection fund that partially reimburses students if a school closes.

Thomas said the unit currently relies on escalating administrative tools — outreach, warning or cease‑and‑desist letters and civil penalties — but “ultimately if that is all ignored, we do not have the ability to go to circuit court and get an injunction to enforce the state law that requires schools to be licensed.” He said the authority to seek injunctions would be used “one or fewer times per year” based on past practice, but that it is an important backstop when schools refuse to comply with licensing or to transfer student academic records after closure.

Committee members asked whether this is primarily a reactive enforcement tool and for examples where the authority would be used. Thomas said most schools operate in good faith and noncompliance is often a lack of awareness corrected by outreach, but provided the records-transfer example as a real‑world instance where a court order could be necessary to secure students’ transcripts.

No committee vote on HB 3,027 was recorded in the hearing transcript.