State policymakers are moving to loosen public colleges’ accreditation options by supporting a newly founded accreditor, the Commission for Public Higher Education (CPHE). The CPHE, overseen largely by state university system appointees and backed financially by Florida and the Trump administration, is positioning itself to accredit some public institutions that want to leave long-standing accreditors. The proposal has drawn alarms from accreditation experts and advocates who cite potential conflicts of interest—particularly if state political actors can influence standards through an accreditor aligned with state priorities. CPHE is also working toward federal recognition while member institutions may still need dual accreditation to keep federal funding. Higher education leaders are likely to treat the CPHE effort as a test case for how far states can assert control over quality assurance without undermining institutional independence.