Proportionality Bill
On Monday, Dr. Lassiter was one of three community college leaders who testified before the Senate Finance Committee as HB 2083 — the proportionality bill — was explained. Without a quorum, the bill was left pending in committee. Chairman Steve Ogden has not indicated when — or if — he may allow the committee to vote on this bill. We are confident that the majority of the committee supports the bill; hopefully, a vote will come soon.
In the meantime, we are exploring other germane bills to which we could attach the proportionality language.
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Budget
The Conference Committee met almost every day this week and is in the final stages of making budget decisions. Beyond the obvious issues of importance to DCCCD — appropriations and proportionality — the committee also is making decisions related to developmental education and funding for nursing.
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Education Committees
On Wednesday, the Senate Higher Education Committee considered various bills of interest to DCCCD, including:
- HB 1069 - Related to the provision of notice regarding the availability of higher education textbooks through multiple retailers.
- HB 4119 - Related to a study and report by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board regarding achievable cost-saving measures at public institutions of higher education.
Also on Wednesday, the House Higher Education Committee considered several bills of interest to DCCCD, including:
- SB 42 - Related to the eligibility of certain postdoctoral fellows and graduate students to participate in health benefit programs at public institutions of higher education. The reason this bill is important to DCCCD is that a committee substitute was passed which contains our proportionality language so, even if our primary proportionality bill fails, we still have this option.
Yesterday, the Senate Higher Education Committee considered HB 2480, which would allow a community college to enter into a dual credit with a school district — regardless of service areas. If passed, this bill could create increased dual credit competition.
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Legislation Tracking
House bills that did not pass last night by midnight on that side of the legislature now are officially dead. However, the language of a proposal can be added to a bill that is moving forward; using this tactic, a bill that would have died instead remains alive. This practice obviously can be both good and bad. Bills now are moving rapidly, so we are in high gear as we try to track everything that occurs. Additional details on dearly-departed bills can be found in the Houston Chronicle.
One bill that we have been trying to “fix” since it was introduced is HB 2504, which would require a public institution of higher education to make available to the public on the institution's Internet website certain undergraduate course information. The bill has passed the House and now is headed to the Senate Higher Education Committee.
For additional details about some of the bills that DCCCD is tracking, visit our Legislation Tracking Web site.
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