Alabama legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Alabama HB565: Higher education, College and Higher Education Excellence and Results (CHEER) Act established, bonus funding for eligible institutions authorized based on achievement of performance goals and objectives
Status: Signed into law, April 9, 2026
What the bill says
An Act, Relating to higher education; to add Chapter 5B to Title 16, Code of Alabama 1975, commencing with Section 16-5B-1; to create the College and Higher Education Excellence and Results (CHEER) Act; to establish a process to provide bonus funding to higher education institutions that meet identified student and institution performance goals and objectives; to establish the College and Higher Education Excellence and Results (CHEER) Fund and provide for its funding and appropriations…
From the enrolled text:
An Act, Relating to higher education; to add Chapter 5B to Title 16, Code of Alabama 1975, commencing with Section 16-5B-1; to create the College and Higher Education Excellence and Results (CHEER) Act; to establish a process to provide bonus funding to higher education institutions that meet identified student and institution performance goals and objectives; to establish the College and Higher Education Excellence and Results (CHEER) Fund and provide for its funding and appropriations; and to establish the Outcomes-Based Higher Education Funding Coordinating Committee and provide for its duties and responsibilities. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA: Section 1. Chapter 5B is added to Title 16, Code of Alabama 1975, commencing with Section 16-5B-1, to read as follows: §16-5B-1 This act shall be known and may be cited as the College and Higher Education Excellence and Results (CHEER) Act. §16-5B-2 For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) ACADEMICALLY UNDERPREPARED STUDENT. A student that started his or her academic program without meeting the readiness requirements established by the Outcomes-Based Higher Education Funding Coordinating Committee in discussion with the individual institutions. Page with the individual institutions. HB565 Enrolled (2) ADULT LEARNER. A student that is 25 years of age or older. (3) ALABAMA COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION (ACHE). The commission established in Chapter …