Section 396.NEW - [Newly enacted section not yet numbered] [Establishment of procedures governing access to student transcripts by students with debt]1. The Board of Regents shall establish policies and procedures governing student transcripts that, without limitation: (a) Enable each current and former student, including, without limitation, a student who owes a debt, to access his or her unofficial transcript at all times;(b) Enable each current and former student, including, without limitation, a student who owes a debt, to obtain or have transmitted to a third party an official transcript; and(c) Prohibit an institution within the System from charging a higher fee to a current or former student who owes a debt than is charged to a student who does not owe a debt to: (1) Obtain an official or unofficial transcript; or(2) Have the institution transmit an official transcript to a third party.2. As used in this section: (a) "Debt" means any money, fee, fine, loan, obligation, claim or sum due or owing or alleged to be due or owing from a current or former student to the System or an institution within the System. The term does not include any fee that is charged to a current or former student for the actual cost of providing an academic transcript to a student.(b) "Institution" means any university, state college or community college.(c) "Official transcript" means the academic transcript or a similar academic record of each current or former student of an institution that is deemed official, authenticated, certified or bona fide and that contains information customarily provided on an official academic transcript, including, without limitation, courses taken, terms, grades, degrees or credentials conferred and any other similar information.(d) "Unofficial transcript" means the academic transcript or a similar academic record of a current or former student of an institution that contains information customarily provided in an unofficial transcript, but which cannot be used to transfer academic credits to another institution of higher education.Added by 2023, Ch. 28,§1, eff. 7/1/2023.