As I understand it, the bill requires a post-secondary institution granting degrees to Wyoming citiizens to be accredited, or to be a candidate for accreditation. I am unclear about the status of religious exemptions for schools.
A digest and legislative history of the bill is available here: http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2006/Digest/SF0069.htm. The end stages of the bill's passage are these:
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3/7/2006 H[ouse] Passed 3rd Reading
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Representative(s) Alden, Bagby, Barnard, Berger, Brown, Buchanan, Childers, Cohee, Davison, Diercks, Edwards, Esquibel, Gay, Gilmore, Gingery, Goggles, Hammons, Harshman, Harvey, Hastert, Hinckley, Iekel, Jones, Jorgensen, Landon, Lockhart, Lubnau, Luthi, Martin, McOmie, Mercer, Meuli, Morgan, Olsen, Osborn, Pedersen, Petersen, Powers, Quarberg, Reese, Robinson, Samuelson, Simpson, Slater, Thompson, Walsh, Warren, Wasserburger, Watt, White and Zwonitzer.
Nays: Representative(s) Anderson, R., Brechtel, Hageman, Illoway, Miller, Philp and Semlek.
Excused: Representative(s) Bucholz and Jackson.
Ayes 51 Nays 7 Excused 2 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
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3/8/2006 S[enate] Did Concur
ROLL CALL
Ayes: Senator(s) Anderson, J., Aullman, Barrasso, Boggs, Burns, Coe, Cooper, Decaria, Geis, Hawks, Hines, Jennings, Job, Johnson, Larson, Massie, Meier, Mockler, Nicholas, Peck, Peterson, Ross, Schiffer, Scott, Townsend, Vasey and Von Flatern.
Nays: Senator(s) Case, Hanes and Sessions.
Ayes 27 Nays 3 Excused 0 Absent 0 Conflicts 0
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3/8/2006 Assigned Number SEA0031
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3/8/2006 S[enate] President Signed SEA No. 0031
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3/9/2006 H[ouse] Speaker Signed SEA No. 0031
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3/10/2006 Governor Signed SEA0031
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3/10/2006 Assigned Chapter Number
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Chapter No. 0034 Session Laws of Wyoming 2006.
Take note of the no vote in the Wyoming Senate from Sen. Kathryn Sessions, D-Cheyenne. In a May 9, 2005 Associated Press story by Mead Gruver it was reported that
Wyoming Department of Education officials say that state law requires them to inspect any campus of any Wyoming-licensed private university, anywhere in the world, with the school covering all expenses.
So, last fall, two department officials visited campuses of Cheyenne-based Preston University in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Britain. Two state senators also went, and Preston also paid their way.
Seven months later, the four have little to show from the 10-day trip.
For example, each of three inspection reports by Deputy Superintendent Quinn Carroll and the department's finance director, Fred Hansen, was about 1-1/2-pages - about as long as the application form for opening a private fish farm in Wyoming.
The reports conclude that the Preston campuses in Ajman, Islamabad and London were mostly in compliance with Wyoming law.
And, while neither Sen. Jim Anderson, R-Glenrock, nor Sen. Kathryn Sessions, D-Cheyenne, has formally reported on their perspective of the trip, Sessions came back and, with the backing of Preston Chancellor Jerry Haenisch, submitted a bill that could have helped the school.
The bill sought to remove several specific laws for private-school licensing from statute in favor of new rules overseen by the state Board of Education.
"I can't see how anyone has any problem with a decently priced education with nontraditional students," she said...
But the Pakistani government has reached a less-complimentary conclusion.
In February, based on its own inspections and rules, Pakistan's Higher Education Commission classified all 15 Preston campuses in that country as "seriously deficient" or "illegally operating." The Islamabad campus was deemed "seriously deficient."...
Here is an interesting section of text from the bill:
21-2-402. Licensure; registration of private degree granting post secondary education institutions; fees; suspension and revocation; notification upon entry into state.
...
(b) Except as provided by subsection (f) of this section, private degree granting post secondary education institutions shall annually apply to the department of education for registration under this article. Application shall be in a manner and on a form prescribed by the department and shall include documentation or other verification of accreditation by an accrediting association recognized by the United States department of education or verification of candidacy or verification of otherwise being in the application process status for accreditation. Except as otherwise provided under this subsection, an annual registration fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00) shall be collected by the department prior to issuing a registration certificate under this article. If the applicant is a candidate for accreditation or is otherwise in the application process for accreditation, and the applicant submits verification of candidacy or application status together with a performance bond or other form of security required under W.S. 21-2-405, the department shall collect an annual registration fee of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) for each year the applicant institution remains a candidate or continues the application process, up to a period of not to exceed five (5) years, until the institution receives accreditation or upon refusal of accreditation by the accrediting association, whichever first occurs. The period of candidacy or otherwise in the application process status expires at the end of the five (5) year period or at the time the applicant is refused candidacy or application status or accreditation by the accrediting association, or otherwise loses candidacy or application status, whichever occurs first, and the applicant shall not operate or conduct business in this state unless, upon a showing of good cause by the applicant, the department finds the five (5) year period of candidacy or applicant status should be extended. As used in this article, "candidate for accreditation or otherwise in the application process" means that within three (3) months of first enrolling students, or by July 1, 2006, for any private degree granting post secondary education institution licensed to operate or do business under this article prior to July 1, 2006, the private degree granting post secondary education institution has applied for accreditation by an accrediting association recognized by the United States department of education and is being considered for candidacy status or for accreditation by that association and is in the process of gathering information and performing activities requested by that association to complete the application process.
...
(d) Subject to the requirements of the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act, the state board department may suspend or revoke a license registration certificate issued under this section to any private degree granting post secondary education institution for loss of accreditation status or loss of accreditation candidacy or application status during any registration period.
Well how about that!
GG