Proportionality Bill
Last Friday, the House passed HB 2083, the proportionality bill, by a margin of 142 to 0. The bill includes a compromise agreement with the Governor’s Office. The basic agreement with the Governor is that future increases in state-paid community college employee health insurance for those who are eligible will be linked to increases in student enrollment growth. The Governor’s Office has agreed to sign the bill, support the compromise in the Senate and support the compromise in the appropriations bill. We are hopeful that this issue will be resolved soon.
The next step begins on Monday; Dr. Lassiter has been asked to testify on the bill’s behalf as it is considered by the Senate Finance Committee.
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Budget
The Conference Committee continues to meet and work out differences in the House and Senate versions of the budget. Because of the compromise reached on proportionality, the initial buzz is that the Conference Committee tentatively has agreed to support the House version of the budget that removes proportionality.
Earlier this week, the Lieutenant Governor indicated that the budget may be approximately $1 billion short to fund Medicaid needs; this, of course, means conferees may look for areas in which they can cut spending as well as provide an infusion of funding from the state’s rainy day fund. Additional details can be found in this Dallas Morning News blog posting.
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Higher Education Committees
On Wednesday, the Senate Higher Education Committee considered various bills of interest to DCCCD, including:
- HB 1568 - Related to authorizing an exemption from tuition and fees charged by a community community college district for its employees. The bill was left pending in committee.
Also on Wednesday, the House Higher Education Committee considered several bills of interest to DCCCD, including:
- SB 65 – Related to leave for junior college district or university system employees who are physically assaulted while on duty.
- SB 31 - Related to financial assistance for students who complete certain coursework at two-year public institutions of higher education.
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Legislation Tracking
Bills are moving quickly to the full House or Senate for consideration. Late last Friday, the Senate passed SB 857, the community college purchasing bill. We now must work against the clock to move it through the House.
On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, the House considered HB 3276, which would have added some merit-based components to Texas Grants eligibility. The bill was brought to the floor three different times on Wednesday before it ultimately was reduced to a “study” bill. Now – if HB 3276 is passed by the Senate - the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will be charged with producing a study on changing eligibility requirements.
For additional details about some of the bills that DCCCD is tracking, visit our Legislation Tracking Web site.
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