(1) The Transfer Council established under ORS § 350.426 shall:

(a) Advise the Higher Education Coordinating Commission on the development, coordination and maintenance of the common course numbering system described in ORS § 350.423;

(b) Serve as the primary venue for community colleges and public universities to collaborate to develop foundational curricula described in ORS § 350.400 and unified statewide transfer agreements described in ORS § 350.404;

(c) Develop best practices in order to improve program planning, increase communication among all participants and facilitate student acceleration and the transfer of students and academic credits between public school districts, public post-secondary institutions of education and participating nonpublic post-secondary institutions of education; and

(d) Make recommendations to the commission on the adoption of rules necessary to:

(A) Establish and maintain the common course numbering system described in ORS § 350.423;

(B) Establish an auditing process to determine how well public post-secondary institutions of education are complying with the common course numbering system;

(C) Establish a process that enables a student to appeal a decision by a public post-secondary institution of education to refuse the transfer of academic credit;

(D) Ensure the cooperation and successful implementation of the common course numbering system by all public post-secondary institutions of education;

(E) Ensure the coordination, establishment, alignment, effectiveness and maintenance of foundational curricula described in ORS § 350.400 and unified statewide transfer agreements described in ORS § 350.404; and

(F) Ensure that each community college and each public university listed in ORS § 352.002 submits an annual report to the commission that includes all information necessary for the commission to determine the effect of common course numbering, foundational curricula and unified statewide transfer agreements on a demographically and institutionally disaggregated basis.

(2) The commission shall:

(a) Adopt rules based on the work and recommendations of the council on matters described in subsection (1)(d) of this section;

(b) Establish by rule an annual date by which the commission will submit a report in the manner provided by ORS § 192.245 to the appropriate interim committees of the Legislative Assembly responsible for higher education that sets forth the determinations the commission has made on the effect of common course numbering, foundational curricula and unified statewide transfer agreements on a demographically and institutionally disaggregated basis, based on the information provided to the commission pursuant to subsection (1)(d)(F) of this section;

(c) Provide staff support for the council;

(d) Provide logistical support for the council; and

(e) Host an Internet website for the council.

(3)(a) No later than September 1 of each year, the council shall report to the commission on the progress the council is making in enhancing and maintaining the common course numbering system described in ORS § 350.423 and on any other current work regarding the transfer of academic credit on which the council is focused.

(b) No later than December 15 of each year, the commission shall report to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly responsible for higher education on the progress the council is making in enhancing and maintaining the common course numbering system described in ORS § 350.423 and on any other current work regarding the transfer of academic credit on which the council is focused.

(4) The commission may adopt rules necessary to effectively implement this section. [2021 c.575 § 8]

Sections 2 and 3, chapter 575, Oregon Laws 2021, provide:

Notwithstanding sections 4 (3) and 8 (3) [350.429 (3)] of this 2021 Act:

(1) The Transfer Council established in section 6 of this 2021 Act [350.426] shall submit its first report to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission by January 15, 2022.

(2) The report described in subsection (1) of this section shall:

(a) Describe any subcommittees the council intends to establish under section 6 (5) of this 2021 Act for the purpose of assisting the council in the development of the common course numbering system described in section 1 of this 2021 Act [350.423];

(b) Establish a list of initial courses for the common course numbering system that will first apply during the 2023-2024 academic year;

(c) List the courses or subject areas the council has identified as likely to be included when the common course numbering system first applies to public post-secondary institutions of education during the 2025-2026 academic year; and

(d) List the courses or subject areas, which may include career and technical education studies, that the council anticipates adding to the common course numbering system after the 2025-2026 academic year.

(3) The commission shall:

(a) Submit its first report to the Legislative Assembly no later than March 15, 2022. The report shall inform the Legislative Assembly of the activities of the council described in subsection (2) of this section and may include recommendations for additional legislation the commission determines would assist in the development of the common course numbering system described in section 1 of this 2021 Act.

(b) Adopt rules necessary to establish an initial common course numbering system consisting of the courses described in subsection (2)(b) of this section in a manner that ensures the system will first apply to the 2023-2024 academic year.

(4) Each public post-secondary institution of education in this state shall be in compliance with rules adopted by the commission under this section by the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year. [2021 c.575 § 2]

Section 2 of this 2021 Act is repealed on January 2, 2025. [2021 c.575 § 3]