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Community college funding largely held steady; tuition and fee restraint language added
Summary
House Bill 45 79 H‑1 was adopted with a small net decrease in community college operations funding driven mainly by removal of one‑time items; the bill adds tuition/fee restraint and several boilerplate restrictions.
The Appropriations Committee adopted the H‑1 substitute to House Bill 45 79, the community college appropriation. House Fiscal reported a proposed gross appropriation of about $456.7 million, a $5.6 million (1.2 percent) decrease from the current year that largely reflects removal of one‑time operational funding.
Fiscal staff said projected decreases for individual community colleges would range from about 0.8% to 1.3% and highlighted removal of a $2 million one‑time appropriation. The House adds tuition and fee restraint language for fiscal year 2026 (the greater of 3% or a specified dollar floor) as a condition tied to certain fund allocations and added restrictions addressing DEI spending, institutional salary limits and rules on common areas and public ceremonies based on race or ***.
Representative Markkanen and fiscal staff emphasized that the appropriation is largely a re‑baseline after one‑time funding. Committee members asked how the restrictions would be interpreted; fiscal staff said the bill text does not define “common areas” and that some questions about implementation would be worked out in negotiations. The committee adopted the H‑1 substitute and reported the bill with recommendation.
