87R9376 JRJ-D

By: Taylor S.B. No. 1230

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to establishing the Texas Commission on Community College Finance.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter G, Chapter 130, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 130.1305 to read as follows:

Sec. 130.1305. TEXAS COMMISSION ON COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINANCE. (a) The Texas Commission on Community College Finance is established to make recommendations for consideration by the 88th Texas Legislature regarding the state funding formula and funding levels for public junior colleges in Texas that would be sufficient to sustain viable junior college education and training offerings throughout the state.

(b) The commission is composed of 11 members as follows:

(1) three members appointed by the governor;

(2) three members appointed by the lieutenant governor;

(3) three members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

(4) one member appointed by the board of the Texas Association of Community Colleges; and

(5) one member appointed by the board of the Community College Association of Texas Trustees.

(c) Members appointed by the governor must be representatives of junior college leaders, business leaders, or other stakeholders knowledgeable in junior college mission, instructional programs, and finance.

(d) Members appointed by the lieutenant governor shall consist of:

(1) two members of the Texas Senate; and

(2) an administrator from an institution of higher education as defined by Section 61.003.

(e) Members appointed by the speaker of the house shall consist of:

(1) two members of the house of representatives; and

(2) an administrator from an institution of higher education as defined by Section 61.003.

(f) In making appointments, the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives shall coordinate to ensure that the membership of the commission reflects, to the extent possible, the geographic diversity of Texas public junior colleges and the ethnic diversity of the communities served by those junior colleges.

(g) The commission shall convene not later than the 90th day after the enactment of this section by the legislature and shall continue its activities until completion of a final report.

(h) The commission shall examine trend and forecast data, seek stakeholder input, and account for equity in student outcomes, with a particular focus on students who are underrepresented in higher education, including from families in the bottom quintiles of the economic spectrum, and make recommendations on the following policies:

(1) contact hour funding formulas established for public junior colleges under Subchapter C, Chapter 61, and Subchapter A of this chapter;

(2) the use of student success points established under Section 61.0593 to determine the allocation of state funding to public junior colleges;

(3) historical or innovative funding methods for supporting underfunded colleges;

(4) revenue source proportionality in the payment of employee group insurance benefits; and

(5) the feasibility of establishing shared service agreements or interinstitutional collaboratives where institutions of higher education perform administrative services, other than direct instruction and student support services, for other institutions of higher education for a fee or other consideration.

(i) The commission may seek resource support, including data analyses and technical assistance, from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Texas Association of Community Colleges, and research organizations. The commission may accept gifts, grants, and donations from any source to be used to carry out a function of the commission.

(j) The commission shall submit a final report and recommendations to the governor, lieutenant governor, and both houses of the legislature not later than November 1, 2022.

(k) This section expires January 1, 2023.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2021.