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The Senate Committee on Higher Education met on Wednesday the 14th to discuss a variety of bills. Bills covered in this report include SB 1300 (Creighton), SB 1521 (Zaffirini), SB 1797 (West), SB 1888 (Creighton). The full meeting notice can be found here, and an archive can be found here.

This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight of the discussions on the various topics taken up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the discussions but is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions.

 

Pending Business

SB 1019 (Zaffirini), Passed 7-0, Recommended for Local and Uncontested calendar

SB 1677 (Buckingham) CS, Passed 7-0, Recommended for Local and Uncontested calendar

SB 1963 (West) CS, Passed 7-0, Recommended for Local and Uncontested calendar

SB 1230 (Taylor) CS, Passed 7-0

SB 1102 (Creighton) CS, Passed 7-0, Recommended for Local and Uncontested calendar

SB 1780 (Creighton) CS, Passed 6-0, 1 PNV, Recommended for Local and Uncontested calendar

SB 1889 (Creighton) CS, Passed 7-0

SB 1385 (Creighton) CS, Passed 9-0

CS: Clarifies financial literacy workshop, clarifies that institution trademarks may not be used in endorsements, clarifies that student athletes must comply with their school’s honor code, clarifies student athletes may sponsor legal activities for their age, calls on federal government to pass standard for NIL legislation

SB 1701 (Creighton), Passed 9-0

SB 810 (Kolkhorst), CS adopted, remains pending business

CS: Clarifies the courses required to post syllabi online, includes word “substantial” to clarify compliance, grants THECB authority to adopt rules determining substantial compliance, removes comptroller ability to withhold funds if universities are out of compliance

 

SB 1521 (Zaffirini) [CS] – Relating to creating a mental health task force to study mental health services provided at institutions of higher education.

  • Mental health is a pressing issue in higher education – more students are reporting depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation
  • Mental health is about protecting students’ well being and ensuring they are able to complete their degree and join the workforce
  • Task force would be located at THECB that would examine colleges’ current mental health responses and recommend improvements
  • Task force would publish a report at the end of its research and analysis
  • CS would remove ambiguous language, allow the task force to include another campus mental health expert, and allow the task force to accept gifts and grants to help it complete its work

 

Dr. Stephanie Robertson, Texas Psychological Association – For

  • Time as head of student mental health services at Tarleton showed that higher and higher numbers of students would approach me for help
  • Issue is constantly growing, especially in more rural areas of the state
  • Path to increasing support for student mental health is critical to the future
  • Shares several stories from students showing the impact of mental health issues on campus, and current lack of sufficient resources

 

Jay Maguire, Parents and Alumni for Student Safety – For

  • Serious rise has been observed in students reporting depression and anxiety, especially during the pandemic
  • COVID derailed this generation’s education
  • Mental health issues that came up during COVID will not just go away after things go back to normal
  • Creighton – What do you consider hazing?
    • Any activity designed to embarrass, intimidate, or injure individuals trying to join a group
    • Started the group as a response to a hazing death at UT, but now is a statewide mental and behavioral health nonprofit

 

Colton Becker, Self – For

  • Former UT Student President, worked with CMHC during tenure
  • Rising need for these services and the task force to increase access to those resources
  • Shares several anecdotes about individuals attending UT or alumni of the school, pertaining to mental health

 

CSSB 1521 left pending

 

SB 1797 (West) [CS] – Relating to access by an institution of higher education to the TexShare library consortium.

  • CS is a leg council draft
  • Bill would allow work colleges as certified by the US DOE to access the TexShare Library consortium

 

Michael Sorrell, President of Paul Quinn College – For

  • First work college in the state of Texas
  • Students work 15-16 hours per week, as well as attend classes
  • Flexibility for these students is important to their success
  • TexShare access is a critical issue for continuing work college competitiveness

 

CSSB 1797 left pending

 

SB 1300 (Creighton) – Relating to the number of baccalaureate degree programs certain public junior colleges may offer.

  • Allows THECB to authorize certain BA degrees at community colleges
  • THECB will continue considering career needs and economic issues when determining which degrees qualify
  • Birdwell – Could be solution to the Nursing issue. How does the bill determine qualifying Community Colleges?
    • Testimony will be presented on the eligible criteria

 

Dr. Stephen Head, Lone Star College – On

  • Previously approved for nursing, cybersecurity, and emergency management degrees
  • Programs explicitly workforce related, usually required to move up in the management tree
  • Programs have been extremely successful despite slow start – currently looking to expand programs
  • Self-funded programs and degree expansions – no additional state funding required
  • Workforce BAs key to upskilling industry
  • Creighton – Eligibility criteria?
    • Main criteria would be the ability of the college to maintain the program at a high standard, and accommodate students flexibly

 

Dr. Neil Matkin, Collin College – On

  • Not competing with university partners – work with them to prevent oversaturation and fill gaps in the workforce
  • Expecting programs to grow due to low cost and high utility
  • Paxton – How does going from 3 BAs to 5 BAs benefiting the students?
    • Most students are already in the county, usually older as well
    • Serving incumbent workforce attempting to better skills and move up in the workforce
    • We want programing relevant to the incumbent workers in our area they don’t have access to otherwise
  • Paxton – How do you determine relevance?
    • Advisory groups in industry and careers in Collin County advise us about needs in the workforce
  • Springer – Huge benefit to these programs is the low cost/low debt threshold, ability of mature workers to come back and complete higher education, especially in growing fields like cybersecurity

 

Dr. Richard Rhodes, Austin Community College – On

  • Passage of previous legislation allowed us to expand BA programs, especially for nursing program, expanded from RN to BSN as well
  • Software program also incorporates AS and BA pipeline
  • Currently expanding manufacturing program as well, in response to major firms like Apple and Tesla moving into the Austin region
  • Feedback from industry informs workforce needs

 

Ray Martinez, THECB – On

  • Birdwell – Would Hill or Navarro colleges qualify under these sections?
    • This bill does not change eligibility requirements, including the taxable property jurisdiction requirement
  • Birdwell – Means they would not qualify, even through there is a high need for workforce education in these places
  • Creighton – Directed to Birdwell: Currently no intention to change eligibility on this bill, but willing to work on your bill
  • Springer – Same issue as Birdwell on this bill – should look at changing the requirement for this based on population rather than taxable base

 

SB 1300 left pending

 

SB 1888 (Creighton) – Relating to the establishment of certain programs to facilitate early high school graduation and enrollment at public institutions of higher education and to the repeal of the Early High School Graduation Scholarship program.

  • Would better serve students and ensure competitiveness to prevent them from leaving to other states with more competitive programs

 

Harrison Keller, THECB – On

  • Would establish program to allow high-performing students to graduate early and receive scholarship funding to attend an eligible institution
  • Currently seeing brain drain of high performing students leaving the state and attending university out of state or out of country
  • High-performing students in high school prepared for college should be able to move on as quickly as possible to college education
  • Lead us to better serve students and incentivize in-state higher education
  • Paxton – Are we at a competitive disadvantage in recruiting right now?
    • Traditionally, universities around the state all buy the same lists of students from College Board, and recruit on the same schedule
    • We do this well for top athletes right now, but we take it for granted when it comes to high-performing academic individuals – we only recruit later for those students, same time as every other university around the country
    • Recruiting earlier for high-performing students is as important to maintain competitiveness

 

Dale Inman, Self – For

  • Some students have an aptitude for advancing more quickly in the classroom
  • Other states are competing for academically strong students – they will be the future of the workforce and workforce creation
  • Brain drain of academically competitive students is an issue, Texas needs to maintain academic advantage and competitiveness

 

SB 1888 left pending