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ARCHIVE
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Issue 6
April 20, 2007
Vol. 1
Issue 6
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Issue 5
April 13, 2007
Vol. 1
Issue 5
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Issue 4
April 5, 2007
Vol. 1
Issue 4
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Issue 3
March 30, 2007
Vol. 1
Issue 3
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Issue 2
March 23, 2007
Vol. 1
Issue 2
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Issue 1
March 9, 2007
Vol. 2007
Issue 1
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Appropriations
On Wednesday, the following Senate members were named to the Conference Committee: Sen. Steve Ogden (Bryan), chairman, Senate Finance Committee; Sen. Judith Zaffirini (Laredo), vice chairman, Senate Finance Committee; Sen. Robert Duncan (Lubbock), chairman, Senate S tate Affairs Committee; Sen. John Whitmire (Houston), chairman, Senate Criminal Justice Committee; and Sen. Tommy Williams (The Woodlands). They join Rep. Warren Chisum (Pampa); Rep. Dan Gattis (Georgetown); Rep. Ryan Guillen (Rio Grande City); Rep. Lois Kolkhorst (Brenham); and Rep. Sylvester Turner (Houston) as the committee seeks to finalize the state’s budget for the next two years.
Committee members met briefly yesterday to organize and to obtain an overview of the differences between the House and Senate budget bills. You will note that no members of our delegation serve on this important committee. Although much of the committee’s work will be done quietly, we will continue to track its discussions.
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Committee Meetings
 On Monday, both the House Higher Education Committee and the Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education considered several bills of interest to DCCCD. SB 1029, which is part of Gov. Perry’s Higher Education Plan, relates to performance incentive funding for institutions of higher education. The bill, which was the subject of a great deal of discussion, has been left in committee. [Read the bill]
Yesterday, the Senate Education Committee heard testimony on SB 365, which would create a health professionals education grant program. The intent of this bill is to award grants to institutions that offer distance and community-based education programs for nontraditional students who enter healthcare professionals programs. The bill was left in committee and will be addressed again next week. [Read the bill]
On Thursday, the House Select Committee on Higher and Public Education met for the first time. This committee will review allocation formulas and accountability measures. Most of its work will be done during the interim period after this session ends. Beginning in July, committee members will hold monthly meetings and finalize their interim report by next summer.
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Legislation
 Following are several bills of particular interest to DCCCD:
This week, SB 1052 — which would provide financial incentives for students who complete core curriculum requirements at community colleges to transfer to four-year institutions — was passed by the Senate. The bill now moves to the House for consideration. [Read the bill]
SB 114, one of several textbook-related bills, currently is mired in the Senate. Although we have worked to improve the bill, it still could pose challenges for DCCCD. We will continue to monitor this bill to see when it may be considered by the Senate. [Read the bill]
HB 116, which would limit the number of classes students could drop, is languishing in the House and has yet to be considered by the full House. No companion bill exists in the Senate and, fortunately, it does not appear it will reach the Governor’s desk. [Read the bill]
SB 1064, the community college purchasing bill which was passed by the Senate last week, was sent to the House this week. It should be heard by the House Higher Education Committee a week from Monday.
Next week, HB 1249, which is related to the eligibility of TEXAS grants for transfer students, will be heard by the House Higher Education Committee. [Read the bill]
We continue to track and analyze proposed bills that may affect the Dallas County Community College District. You can see the updated tracking list and bill status on the DCCCD website.
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