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Senate Education Committee advances bill to update community college tuition cap
Summary
The Senate Education Committee voted to send House Bill 79 to the Senate floor with a "do pass" recommendation after Rep. James Petske said the bill raises the statutory tuition cap community colleges have been unable to exceed since about 2016.
The Senate Education Committee voted to send House Bill 79 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation after Representative James Petske (R.-Dist. 21) said the measure updates a long-unchanged cap on community-college tuition.
Representative James Petske told the committee the bill is "essentially changing one number" in state code and includes minor editorial fixes. "This number is the tuition rate cap that applies to our community colleges," he said, and he said the cap has not been adjusted since 2008 and effectively constrained colleges from raising tuition beginning around 2016.
The committee heard Petske explain why the change matters: community colleges rely on a mix of locally voted property-tax levies, state general-fund appropriations and tuition revenue. If tuition cannot be adjusted to reflect rising costs — particularly instructor pay — the colleges must shift more pressure onto property-tax and state funding sources.
Petske described the bill's pace limits and the new cap the bill proposes. Under existing law, he said, colleges may raise tuition by up to 10% in a single year; the bill sets a statutory cap at "$32.50" (as stated by the sponsor) and preserves the 10% per-year limit. "Based on my discussions with community colleges, they're all targeting more of a 5% increase for the first year," he said, adding that at 5% annually it would take roughly 10 years to reach the new cap, while a full 10% annual increase would reach it in just over three years.
Committee discussion was limited to clarifying questions about how community colleges differ from universities in funding. Petske noted universities have tuition set by the State Board of Education and receive additional revenue streams such as large private donations and athletics, which community colleges generally do not.
The committee approved a motion to send House Bill 79 to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation by voice vote; the clerk recorded "aye" with no opposition and the motion carried.
The committee's action moves the bill to the full Senate for further consideration.
