Community College Day in Austin
 On Wednesday, 1,500 community college students, administrators and trustees from around the state converged on the capitol. DCCCD was represented by Trustee Kitty Boyle, Chancellor Wright Lassiter and a total of almost 150 students from each of our seven colleges. Community colleges were recognized in resolutions in both the House and Senate. Eastfield’s Student Government Association president, James Casarez, was one of five students introduced on the Senate floor who accepted that resolution.
DCCCD students also were able to meet with legislators or their staff members. Our students discussed topics such as additional funding for DCCCD, textbook costs and increases in financial aid dollars. Additional details about our day in Austin can be found in this “Dallas Morning News” story from Feb. 5, 2009.
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Legislative Committees
Last Friday, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst released Senate committee assignments. One significant committee change is that Higher Education is now its own standing committee rather than a subcommittee. Previously, the subcommittee functioned as part of the Senate Education Committee. Sen. Judith Zaffirini chairs the new Higher Education Committee, which also includes: Vice Chair Dan Patrick, Sen. Kip Averitt, Sen. Robert Duncan and Sen. Royce West. The full list of Senate committees can be found at http://www.senate.state.tx.us. Speaker Strauss is expected to announce House committees later today or early next week.
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Senate Finance Hearing
On Wednesday, the Senate Finance Committee conducted a hearing on higher education funding. Representatives from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Legislative Budget Board and the Texas Association of Community Colleges testified about community college funding during the first of many hearings to come on this topic. Members of the committee had many favorable comments concerning proposals to increase funding for community colleges. The committee will take a month or so to hold hearings on all the areas of the budget; it also will soon break into “work groups” to further study budgetary matters.
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