A higher-education funding committee is created and must set up a data process by June 1, 2027, review qualifying high-demand/high-wage occupations every three years, help eligible institutions understand bonus-funding data, and may recommend bonus changes to the Legislature.
(a) There shall be established the Outcomes-Based Higher Education Funding Coordinating Committee led by the Chair of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee and the Chair of the House Ways and Means Education Committee. (b) The membership of the committee shall include the following: (1) A representative of the Council of Presidents, to represent the four-year institutions, appointed by the council. (2) The Executive Director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE), or his or her designee. (3) The Chancellor of the Alabama Community College System, or his or her designee. (4) The Chair of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee. (5) The ranking minority member of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee. (6) The Chair of the House Ways and Means Education Committee. (7) The ranking minority member of the House Ways and Means Education Committee. (8) The Chair of the House Education Policy Committee. (9) The Chair of the Senate Education Policy Committee. (10) The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, or his or her designee. (11) The Minority Leader of the Senate, or his or her designee. (c) By June 1, 2027, the committee shall establish a process for collecting the data needed to award bonuses for postgraduation success. The committee, based on recommendations from the Alabama Department of Workforce, shall also determine every three years which occupations qualify as high-demand fields and high-wage jobs, using labor market data, accounting for both the statewide and regional workforce demand. (d) The committee shall assist eligible institutions: (i) in understanding the data that determines their eligibility for bonus funding; and (ii) in identifying strategies to improve eligibility. (e) On a schedule to be determined by the committee, the committee may make recommendations to the Legislature to: (1) Adjust the amount of bonus for each outcome to improve the degree to which the bonus is incentivizing significant improvements in the outcome; (2) Define other categories of students who are not achieving similar success rates as other students on eligible outcomes and whose identification is not easily subject to manipulation to earn bonus funding; and (3) Define the bonus amount for new categories of students to be included in the annual Education Trust Fund appropriations act.