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Senate Higher Education met on March 31 to take up a number of bills. This report covers SB 959 (Zaffirini), SB 994 (Powell et al.), SB 1295 (Creighton), SB 1230 (Taylor), SB 1525 (Creighton), SB 1531 (West). Full agenda can be found here. A video of the hearing can be found here.

This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight of the discussions on the various topics the committee took up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the hearing 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.

Vote Outs

SB 165 (Blanco) (8 ayes, 0 nays)

SB 346 (Paxton) (7 ayes, 1 nay)

CSSB 480 (Miles) (8 ayes, 0 nays)

CSSB 1251 (Miles) (8 ayes, 0 nays)

SB 1094 (Creighton) (8 ayes, 0 nays)

CSSB 1490 (Creighton) (8 ayes, 0 nays)

CSSB 1525 (Creighton) (8 ayes, 0 nays)

 

SB 994 (Powell et al.), Relating to measures to facilitate the successful completion of degree and certificate programs by certain adult learners at public institutions of higher education

  • Powell – Overviews their personal experience with adult learning; COVID crisis has put additional pressures on adult learners and businesses
  • More than 48,000 stop out of college after completing about 75% of their degree; many left college with 45 or more college hours
    • Estimated cost of these hours without entering into the workforce is $82 million
  • Bill will provide stopped out adult learners who have completed about 75% of their degree “assigning bumps” to decrease their tuition by about 25%
  • Will facilitate on the job training to meet regional workforce needs
  • Springer – What are the restrictions on this?
    • Powell – Must be between 25 and 34 and must have stopped out within four years

 

Justin Yancy, Texas Business Leadership Council – For

  • Upskilling and reskilling is key to ensuring Texas remains globally competitive through an educated workforce
  • Road to recovery from the pandemic is not complete without adult learners and incentivizing them to finish college or pursue additional education
  • Continue building bridges between schools and businesses through these incentive structures

 

Mike Moroney, Texas Association of Manufacturers – For

  • Thousands of Texans face issues during their college education that force them to stop their education, incentives are critical for helping these students return and complete their degrees
  • Industries need more educated individuals
  • West – What priority is this legislation?
    • Workforce development is always in the top 3 issues for CEOs and for industry
    • TAM views this as a critical issue, talent pipelines are important to fill jobs

HB 994 left pending

 

SB 1295 (Creighton) (CS), Relating to state support for comprehensive regional universities in this state

  • Performance based funding incentives created in the bill, leads to greater narrowing of achievement gaps for at-risk students
  • Comprehensive regional institutions often serve at-risk students more than other institutions, and this funding is key to help these schools help their students succeed

 

Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson, Texas A&M San Antonio – For

  • Regional institutions provide an affordable education to higher-risk student groups
  • Regional universities educate almost 40% of the state’s students, and many need additional funding
  • Need for funding critical to ensure our schools can reskill and upskill workers and students to ensure economic competitiveness and mobility
  • Only 18% of adults in San Antonio have a B.A. or higher, showing need for this and similar legislation
  • It costs more to support disadvantaged and non-traditional students

 

Dr. Carine M. Feyten, Texas Women’s University – For

  • Investments into community and technical colleges are important, but Texas also needs to invest in regional institutions – fill in the gap
  • The mission-specific funding model misses a piece of the puzzle by excluding regional institutions, which served 40% of graduates and underrepresented groups
  • This funding model will work, and countless universities have been successful with a similar program based on donations
  • These students are fully capable of thriving and succeeding in college, they just need support, as proven by our university and others
  • West – Encourages all members to support the legislation

 

Jessie Kaiser, University of Houston Victoria – For

  • UHV is only university in a 100-mile radius in its area and provides the best and only education many in the coastal bend region can achieve
  • Invested in helping at-risk students, know that this type of funding model can work and incentivize completion of degrees
  • Extra support and opportunities are critical for at-risk students to complete their degrees and contribute back to the economy
  • West – What is the economic impact of UHV?
    • Offhand, don’t have a specific number
    • To estimate, $45-60 million directly into the economy from just the university, not including the impact of graduates/alumni

 

Justin Yancy, Texas Business Leadership Council – For

  • We will not achieve state growth goals and continue to be globally competitive if Texans do not get an education
  • Performance funding works and is key to increase competitiveness
  • Workforce education is a top priority for business

HB 1295 left pending

 

SB 1525 (Creighton) (CS), Relating to the administration of the governor’s university research initiative

  • Committee substitute aligns bill more closely with legislative draft in the House
  • Governor’s university research initiative (GURI) is designed to attract distinguished researchers to top universities in the State
  • Seeks to amend distinguished researcher definition to expand the grants to more individuals with talent; current definition is very restrictive and highly selective

 

Harrison Keller, Commissioner of Higher Education – On

  • Creighton – Could you speak to the kind of researchers that would now be eligible if the bill were to become law
    • Current statute is very narrow, restricted eligibility to Nobel Laureates and members of the National Academy
    • Bill would allow GURI to expand eligibility in 2 ways:
    • Funds could be used to attract researchers nationally recognized, such as the Fields Medal in mathematics, but not part of the Academy quite yet
    • Funds could also be used to attract clusters of productive researchers, instead of simply individuals, which can build research capacity for universities
    • We want to recruit individuals with decades of productive work in front of them as well
  • Creighton – Would these researchers stay and contribute?
    • Yes, these researchers routinely increase advancements in many fields, and leads to greater economic productivity

HB 1525 voted out of committee (8 ayes, 0 nays)

 

SB 1531 (West), Relating to formula funding for excess undergraduate credit hours at public institutions of higher education and to the tuition rate that may be charged for those credit hours

  • Currently a cap exists on credit hours eligible for state formula funding
  • Important that students be allowed to complete their degree plans quickly and efficiently
  • Overages and time to degree becomes costly, and a drag on both students and on state resources
  • THEC estimates that this bill will save $23 million to general revenue per biennium
  • Zaffirini – This is a great idea, good first step to study the program and see if it’s worth improving upon

 

Ashley Spicer-Runnels, Texas A&M San Antonio – For

  • Strategies to limit time to degree and student debt
  • Working to increase transparency and accountability for programs, and ensuring that students don’t spend so long on their degree for cost saving and efficiency reasons
  • Communication is the most effective strategy to ensure we can support students
  • Reducing unnecessary summer and extended course hours is key to timely degree completion

SB 1531 left pending

 

SB 959 (Zaffirini), Relating to student success-based funding recommendations for certain continuing workforce education courses offered by public junior colleges

  • 60-40% goal is important, but we need to support continuing education courses as well as in-class actions
  • Would require THECB to consider achievement and qualifying continuing education for funding

 

Justin Hoggard, Coastal Bend College – For

  • Current funding model only captures a portion of our mission and student body
  • Can serve anyone from a displaced worker to a high school student, especially the technical certifications (CE) programs
  • CE not directly eligible for additional funding under current formula

SB 959 left pending

 

SB 1230 (Taylor) (CS), Relating to establishing the Texas Commission on Community College Finance

  • Designed to modernize funding methods for community colleges
  • Current formula was implemented in 1973, with only minor changes and updates in the past couple of decades
  • Commission would consist of members appointed by governor, both chambers of the legislature, and members of related associations, and would do research on community college finance
  • Key for a sustainable future for community colleges
  • Substitute includes a 12th member on the committee to represent faculty and adds a goal and area of study of improving student outcomes
  • West – Given THECB historically examines this issue, should they have a representative on the committee, or fulfill a staffing role?
    • Yes, they will be staffing the committee
  • Zaffirini – Did you consider a student member?
    • We haven’t considered that, typically the regents and representatives of community colleges are more finance-oriented, and students generally are not familiar with that aspect
    • Also, a big-time commitment for a student – last commission had over 100 hours of meetings

 

Jacob Fraire, Texas Association of Community Colleges – For

  • Biggest component of the funding formula, contact hours, was established in 1973
  • State has changed dramatically since then; population, demographics, etc.
  • Important to examine the changes, and how effective the current funding formula is
  • Committee would be able to access key state and national data to reimagine and modernize the funding formula for decades to come
  • Depending on the size of the college, they can be state funded from 20%-80% of their total budget – important to analyze how and why

 

Carol Scott, Del Mar College Board of Regents – For

  • Needs of the community become difficult to fulfill under the current formula
  • Funding continues to be a pressing issue for colleges
  • Institutions and the economy have changed dramatically since the formula was implemented, and it no longer applies

 

Todd Williams, The Commit Partnership – For

  • Commission Process is similar to the finance commission from previous session
  • Recommendations are products of data, research, and time; all three are key
  • Higher ed is a critical issue now, with COVID, key time to ensure achievement gaps do not grow

HB 1230 left pending