STATEMENT TO

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 4254

with Assembly Floor Amendments

(Proposed by Assemblywoman CARTER)

ADOPTED: OCTOBER 28, 2024

      Assembly Bill No. 4254 (1R) establishes limits on transcript release restrictions at institutions of higher education and certain proprietary institutions.

      These Assembly amendments:

· Define the term “current or former student”;

· Revise the definition of debt to clarify that the provisions of the bill apply to an outstanding balance on the account of a current or former student;

· Remove a provision stipulating that certain current or former students not receiving federal or federal financial aid could only request a transcript for certain reasons specified in the bill;

· Specify that the provisions of section 2 of the bill do not apply to students who reside outside of the United States and are not citizens of the United States or are current or former students who are, or were previously, eligible for federal or State student financial aid;

· Permit a transcript released pursuant to the provisions of the bill to be transmitted to a third-party entity at the request of the current or former student;

· Require an institution to provide a current or former student with the option to transmit the transcript to the student or a third-party; and

· Require an institution to post its policies concerning transcript release, including policies concerning transcript release to a current or former student with an outstanding debt pursuant to the bill, on the Internet website of the institution.