Gov. Terry Branstad will formally sign a bill supporting online education and student consumer protection on Friday. The bill, SF 501, allows the state to register with the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements but will not sacrifice Iowa’s strong consumer protection laws, Branstad’s office said in a release. The agreement standardizes distance learning regulations and eliminates a burdensome and costly state-by-state authorization process. Officials say the streamlined system will generate revenue for Iowa’s educational institutions by increasing the availability of their online programs as well as saving $5.7 million that otherwise would have been passed on to students in tuition increases. The bill was passed unanimously by both houses and was supported by Attorney General Tom Miller.