HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES — NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
COMMITTEE: Higher Education
TIME & DATE: 9:00 AM, Tuesday, August 18, 2026
PLACE: E2.036
CHAIR: Rep. Terry M. Wilson
The committee will meet to consider and hear invited and public testimony on the following interim charges, with the length of public testimony subject to the discretion of the chair. Public testimony will occur at the completion of invited testimony for all charges considered:
Postsecondary Education Affordability: Study strategies to improve postsecondary education affordability for Texas students and reduce financial barriers to enrollment, persistence, and completion. Evaluate whether state financial aid investments are effectively targeted and structured to promote student success and meet workforce needs. Review the impact of recent federal legislation on student aid and institutional affordability. Analyze unmet financial need among eligible students and make recommendations to ensure state investments deliver measurable returns for students, employers, and taxpayers.
Increasing Credential Completion: Evaluate methods to increase credential completion aligned with regional labor demands and national defense strategy in Texas public higher education institutions. Study accelerated postsecondary pathways such as credit for prior learning, prior learning assessments, reverse transfer, and competency-based education. Explore the impact of federal Workforce Pell Grants on short-term credentials. Identify areas to provide better transfer supports, increase re-enrollment, and reduce time to credential completion.
Foreign Adversary Protections in Higher Education: Examine the implementation of recent legislation that protects Texas institutions of higher education from foreign adversarial influence and research security risks. Assess institutional compliance with statutory requirements, including reporting, screening, and oversight processes, and evaluate the role and effectiveness of the Higher Education Research Security Council. Identify and make recommendations regarding the scope of covered foreign entities, designation of sensitive research areas, and institutional risk determination processes.
Research Competitiveness: Examine the ability of Texas public higher education institutions to compete for and secure federal grant funding. Review the impact of recent changes in federal policy and assess whether current state policies adequately support competitiveness. Evaluate opportunities to strengthen coordination, prioritize research related investments based on statewide impact and workforce needs, and enhance institutional capacity to meet federal requirements.
Electronic public comments may be submitted for:
Postsecondary Education Affordability
Increasing Credential Completion
Foreign Adversary Protections in Higher Education (Research Security)
Research Competitiveness
For those persons who will be testifying, information for in-person witness registration, can be found here: https://mytxlegis.capitol.texas.gov/HWRSPublic/About.aspx
A live video broadcast of this hearing will be available here: https://house.texas.gov/video-audio/
Instructions related to public access to the meeting location are available here: https://house.texas.gov/committees/public-access-house-committee-meetings/
Texas residents who wish to electronically submit comments related to
agenda items on this notice without testifying in person can do so until
the hearing is adjourned by visiting:
https://comments.house.texas.gov/home?c=c290
NOTICE OF ASSISTANCE AT PUBLIC MEETINGS
Persons with disabilities who plan to attend this meeting and who may need assistance, such as a sign language interpreter, are requested to contact Stacey Nicchio at (512) 463-0850, 72 hours prior to the meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made.