Representative Vanessa Grossel introduced House Bill 427, which would direct the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) to develop statewide transfer pathways that guarantee the first 60 credit hours in designated high-demand baccalaureate degree programs will transfer and count toward the major across Kentucky public institutions.

Travis Powell, senior vice president and general counsel for CPE, described the implementation steps: CPE would identify the “high-demand” programs, map curricula across two- and four-year institutions, and work with faculty from KCTCS and four-year campuses to align course content and rigor. Powell said the mapping process would involve faculty review and that dual-credit courses already conferred for college credit should meet the same standards as on-campus courses when offered by a public institution.

Representative Payne asked how CPE would determine which degrees qualified as “high demand.” Powell said CPE would examine workforce demand and student demand, likely starting by mapping programs with the highest enrollments and the highest levels of transfer activity. Committee members also raised timing concerns about the bill’s July 1, 2026, start date; Powell said the agency would likely begin with a small set of pathways to meet the deadline and expand later.

A member of the public, Michael Frazier of the Kentucky Student Rights Coalition, testified in support of the bill, saying the coalition welcomed steps to help credits transfer and to reduce time to degree. After discussion, the committee voted 14–0 to report HB 427 favorably; the chair recorded that the bill “passes with favorable expression” and should move to the House floor.

The bill as discussed would not change statewide transfer law immediately; instead, it charges CPE with a curriculum-mapping and alignment process and sets a July 1, 2026, implementation target as discussed in testimony.