House Committee on Higher Education

Committee Leadership

Chair

Terry Wilson (R)

House District 20

Georgetown

Vice Chair

Donna Howard (D)

House District 48

Austin

Committee Composition

Committee Membership

Wilson, Terry (R) House District 20 Georgetown Howard, Donna (D) House District 48 Austin Davis, Aicha (D) House District 109 DeSoto Lalani, Suleman (D) House District 76 Sugar Land Lambert, Stan (R) House District 71 Abilene Perez, Vincent (D) House District 77 El Paso Shaheen, Matt (R) House District 66 Plano Shofner, Joanne (R) House District 11 Nacogdoches Tinderholt, Tony (R) House District 94 Arlington VanDeaver, Gary (R) House District 1 New Boston Ward Johnson, Charlene (D) House District 139 Houston

Most Recent Session Activity

Metrics reflect activity during the most recent legislative session.

Interim Charges

• Monitoring: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of all legislation passed by the Committee and enacted by the 89th Legislature to ensure that legislative purposes are properly implemented, including the following:
  • SB 1786, relating to public higher education;
  • SB 2231, relating to requiring the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to waive fees for admission applications submitted to public institutions of higher education during certain periods; and
  • SB 2314, relating to the creation of an electronic platform and submission portal, known as My Texas Future, to facilitate public high school students’ awareness of and application to institutions of higher education using the electronic common admission application form.
• State of Higher Education: Study the current state of higher education in Texas. Examine enrollment trends, workforce demands, and postsecondary outcomes, as well as progress toward the state’s Building a Talent Strong Texas strategic plan. Examine indicators of institutional competitiveness, including completion rates, faculty recruitment and retention, and research classification trends in comparison to other states.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Aligning Advising Initiatives: Examine investments by the state in advising systems and tools that support high school and college course planning, credential attainment, and successful transitions to postsecondary education and the workforce. Evaluate partnership-based models that leverage postsecondary and labor market research and available data aligned to high-wage and high-demand careers and expand advising capacity. Assess opportunities for the Tri-Agency to better align resources and services to strengthen advising systems and improve student outcomes.
• Agency Oversight: Pursuant to the broad oversight responsibilities granted to the Committee under Section 301.014, Government Code, and the House Rules of Procedure, monitor the agencies under the Committee’s jurisdiction, including for fraud, waste, and abuse, where applicable. The jurisdiction of the Higher Education Committee includes the following agencies:
  • Colleges and universities of the State of Texas;
  • The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station;
  • The Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service;
  • The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board;
  • The Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation;
  • The Prepaid Higher Education Tuition Board; and
  • The Texas A&M Transportation Institute.