L E G I S L AT I V E P R I O R I T I E S
88th Legislative Session

 

Overview

Houston Community College (HCC) provides in this publication a list of state legislative priorities that seek to maximize opportunities for student success. Moreover, it is HCC’s desire to help Texas community colleges and the state address the rapidly changing needs for a highly skilled workforce within our respective regions and the state of Texas.
Significantly, HCC offers its legislative priorities as the 88th Texas Legislature prepares to consider the funding recommendations of the Texas Commission on Community College Finance (TXCCCF). Like the TXCCCF, HCC recognizes the importance of aligning the state’s community college finance system with the changing regional and state workforce needs. The goal: Building a Talent Strong Texas.
As the 88th Texas Legislature convenes, HCC specifically ask members to consider three legislative priorities:
Investing in Community Colleges
Dual Credit and Senior Waivers – Disadvantaged Student Supplement
Equitable Access and Adequate Funding

Notably, each priority operates to help the state Build a Talent Strong Texas.
Serving as one of the largest community colleges in the nation, HCC enriches the community by delivering relevant, high-quality education and training, which ensures success for all students, the community, the economy, and beyond. Our institution leverages its Centers of Excellence to connect students to advanced universities and to the region’s workforce. Moreover, with a little over a quarter of the student body (27%) enrolled in workforce programming, HCC is providing much needed talent to the regional labor market. We are making a positive difference in the lives of our students, our community, and the state of Texas.
HCC welcomes the opportunity to collaboratively work with the 88th Texas Legislature with the intent of Building a Talent Strong Texas. As we seek to improve higher education, particularly as it applies to community colleges, HCC identifies its legislative priorities in greater detail in the pages that follow.

Investing in Community Colleges

HCC Legislative Recommendation
Ensure that the overall formula funding request for community colleges is minimally $2.03 billion*
for the 2024-2025 biennium to include:
Core Operations: $100 million
Student Success Funding: $418.2 million
Contact Hour Formula: $1.5 billion

Objective
To Build a Talent Strong Texas that expands on the successes and progress of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s 60x30TX Plan (i.e., by 2030, at least 60 percent of Texans ages 25-34 will have a certificate
or degree). Both seek to increase employment opportunities and income for individuals, create a deeper talent pool for employers, and align students’ skills with workforce demands.

*Represents Texas Association of Community Colleges and the Community & Technical College Formula Advisory Committee recommendation.

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Dual Credit
and Senior Waivers Disadvantaged Student Supplement

HCC Legislative Recommendation
Advance legislation that ensures equitable access and adequate funding to promote high-quality programs for certain student populations.
Fund dual credit waivers
Fund senior waiver
Supplement funding for wrap-around services for disadvantaged students

Objective
To promote the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s goal of Building a Talent Strong Texas.*

*Expands on the successes and progress of the 60x30TX plan by increasing employment opportunities and income for individuals; creates a deeper talent pool for employers and aligns students’ skills with workforce demands.

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Equitable Access
and Adequate Funding

HCC Legislative Recommendation
Advance legislation that ensures equitable access and adequate funding to promote high quality programs for certain student populations.
Advance HCC service area expansion
with the intent of avoiding duplication of services*
Fund contact hours at 100% of cost
Fund HCC’s Resiliency Operations Center
($2.375 million**)

Objective
To promote the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s goal of Building a Talent Strong Texas.***

* Encompasses three geographical areas in Fort Bend County that are not within
a service area (i.e., “the territory within the boundaries of the taxing district of a junior college district”).
** This amount is part of the base budget for HCC for the 2024-2025 biennium. It is part of the HCC Legislative Appropriations Request.
*** Expands on the successes and progress of the 60x30TX plan by increasing employment opportunities and income for individuals; creates a deeper talent pool for employers and aligns students’ skills with workforce demands.

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WE ARE HOUSTON’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Houston Community College Board of Trustees 
Cynthia Lenton-Gary, Ph.D., Chair, District VII Monica Flores Richart, Vice Chair, District I Eva L. Loredo, Secretary, District VIII Charlene Ward Johnson, District II
Adriana Tamez, Ed.D., District III Reagan Flowers, Ph.D., District IV Robert Glaser, District V
Dave Wilson, District VI
Pretta VanDible Stallworth, Ph.D., PMP, District IX

Chancellor
Cesar Maldonado, Ph.D., P.E.

Office of Governmental & External Affairs 713.718.7452