Last Week

House Higher Education

The Committee met on Wednesday and heard several bills including legislation dealing with online course information and allocation of Texas grant awards.

Senate

Heard SB 1 (the budget bill) on Wednesday. The debate took up most of the day and the bill was voted out and sent to the House. Senator West laid out Article III, Education of the budget. Senator Zaffirini asked specifically about the issue of proportionality. Senator West indicated that he viewed the issue as still unresolved and agreed that a legislative fix was the best course of action.

Senate Higher Education

Heard extensive testimony related to efforts to freeze tuition at general academic institutions. The committee saw not only its five members in attendance but at one point six other Senators also joined in the questioning and debate.

The Week Ahead

House Appropriations

The Committee is scheduled to hear two significant bills to community colleges on Monday.

HB 2083 Solomons

Would define in statute the definition of eligible employee for purposes of proportionality. This bill would effectively resolve the issue of proportionality. HB 2083 and SB 41 are the highest priority for TACC and member colleges.

HB 4586 Pitts

This is the supplemental appropriations that will serve as the vehicle for the restoration of the $154 million in vetoed funds.

On Tuesday, the Committee is scheduled to hear SB 1 ant which time they will substitute the House version of the bill and vote it out of Committee. We expect that the bill will be on the House floor the week after Easter.

House Higher Education Committee

The committee will meet at 2:00 pm on Wednesday. Included among the bills to be considered are the following bills of interest:

HB 746 Brown, Fred

Relating to making underused classrooms of public institutions of higher education available for use by other public colleges and universities.                                   

HB 3790 Morrison

Relating to performance incentive funding for public institutions of higher education and to recognition of certain student achievement on degree completion.

HB 708 Rose

Relating to coordination of postsecondary curricula and to an academic planning Internet website to support academic progress by students enrolled at public institutions of higher education.

HB 4149 Rose

Relating to a study and report by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board regarding achievable cost-saving measures at public institutions of higher education.

HB 4476 Cohen

Relating to eligibility requirements for the tuition equalization grant program.

HB 3296 Castro

Relating to alternative developmental education courses under the Texas Success Initiative for institutions of higher education.

House Technology, Economic Development & Workforce

The committee is scheduled to meet at 8:00 am on Monday morning – included among the bills to be heard is:

HB 1180 Chavez

Which would increase the amount of funding flowing to the skills development program at the Workforce Commission by $38 million per biennium.

Senate Higher Education

The Committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday at 8:00 am. The bills to be considered:

SB 154 Ellis

Relating to the portion of designated tuition required to be set aside to provide student financial assistance at institutions of higher education.

SB 699 Ellis

Relating to higher education student loan repayment assistance for peace officers.

SB 845 Van de Putte

Relating to the tuition and fee exemption available to certain military personnel and to permitting those personnel to transfer the exemption to a child.

SB 1141 Van de Putte

Relating to student loan repayment assistance for speech-language pathologists or audiologists employed by a public school or as faculty members of certain graduate programs at public institutions of higher education.

SB 1760 Watson

Relating to the Prepaid Tuition Unit Undergraduate Education Program, Higher Education Savings Plans, the Texas Save & Match Program and the treatment of a beneficiary's assets under the plans in determining eligibility for student financial assistance and other programs.

SB 1765 Watson

Relating to financial assistance funded from the amounts of certain fees charged to students enrolled at public institutions of higher education.

SB 1941 Shapiro

Relating to the administration and operation of, and the participation of state employees in, the state's programs for prepaying or saving toward the costs of attending an institution of higher education.

SB 2025 Watson

Relating to the establishment of a prepaid tuition unit reward and incentive program for certain economically disadvantaged students who achieve commended performance levels on standardized assessments.