The Austin Community College District (ACC) Board of Trustees approved the 2021 federal legislative priorities during its regular board meeting Monday, February 1.

All policy initiatives are in line with ACC's mission to promote student success and community development through accessible and affordable education and workforce training for our service area.

ACC adopted the federal legislative priorities of the Association of Community College Trustees and the American Association of Community Colleges. Those federal legislative priorities include:

Federal Pell Grants
Requests extending eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant program to short-term training programs offered by institutions of higher education and to incarcerated students.

Access to Basic Needs Services for Low-Income Students
Enact policies that allow financially disadvantaged community college students with unmet need to access programs providing food, housing, medical care, and other basic needs.

DREAM Act and Immigration Policy
Enact legislation that would establish a path to citizenship for qualifying undocumented students who entered the U.S. as minors, eliminate federal restrictions on states that offer in-state tuition to undocumented students, and make DREAM Act students eligible for federal student financial aid.

For more information about ACC's public-policy agenda, contact Dr. Molly Beth Malcolm, ACC Campus Operations and Public Affairs executive vice president, at 512-223-7638 or Chris Cervini, ACC Community and Public Affairs associate vice president, at 512-223-7619 or chris.cervini@austincc.edu.