Proportionality Bill
On Monday, Chancellor Lassiter testified on behalf of the proportionality bill – HB 2083 – as it was considered by the House Appropriations Committee. This hearing went extremely well; as a result, the bill was voted out of committee, 22-0.
The bill should be considered by the full House within the next several weeks. At that time, we may need to call upon our A-Teams to help ensure that the floor debate goes as well as the committee discussion. We had a number of new House members sign on as co-authors of HB 2083 this week. See additional details about HB 2083, including the current list of co-authors.
|
|
|
Budget
Also on Monday, the House Appropriations Committee heard HB 4586, which is the supplemental appropriations bill that will serve as the vehicle to restore our $154 million in vetoed funds. This bill easily passed the committee.
On Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee passed its version of the budget, which does not include the strict definition of proportionality; it also contains increased funding for community colleges and financial aid. The full House is expected to consider the budget next week.
For details about the House version of the budget, read this Dallas Morning News story.
|
|
|
Higher Education Committees
On Wednesday, the House Higher Education Committee considered various bills related to tuition, financial aid and college readiness. One bill of particular interest is HB 3885, which is related to a college readiness pilot program.
The committee also heard HB 3296, which deals with alternative developmental education courses under the Texas Success Initiative.
The committee is holding an informal “from the floor” meeting today to consider and move forward a number of pending bills.
The Senate Higher Education Committee also met on Wednesday to consider relevant bills. One bill they considered of particular interest to DCCCD is SB 1798, which relates to certifying the eligibility of certain educational aides so that they can receive an exemption from tuition and fees. [See an analysis of SB 1798]
|
|
|
Legislation Tracking
We continue to monitor a number of bills that would have an impact on DCCCD. More than 7,100 bills that have been filed; read more about the bills that we are monitoring.
|
