IV 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1145 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 15, 2024 Mr. Courtney (for himself, Mr. Bilirakis , Mr. Ciscomani , Ms. Norton , Mr. Davis of Illinois , Mr. Trone , Mr. Payne , Ms. Leger Fernandez , Mrs. McBath , Ms. Pressley , Ms. Brownley , Mr. Davis of North Carolina , Ms. Stansbury , Ms. Davids of Kansas , Mr. Magaziner , Mr. Garamendi , and Mr. Costa ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability RESOLUTION Recognizing the significance of Community College Month in April as a celebration of more than 1,000 institutions throughout the United States supporting access to higher education, workforce training, and more broadly sustaining and advancing the Nation’s economic prosperity.

Whereas the first public community college, known today as Joliet Junior College in Illinois, opened its doors to 6 students in 1901 as an experiment to accommodate those who wanted to pursue a college education without leaving their community; Whereas the term community college was popularized by the President’s Commission on Higher Education in 1947 in recognition of the community-centered nature of the emerging sector of institutions; Whereas local community and educational leaders throughout the Nation developed community colleges at a dramatic pace over several decades to instill civic pride and meet their people’s needs for educational and economic opportunity; Whereas, today, 1,026 community colleges, 921 public, 36 Tribal, and 69 independent, serve 10,200,000 credit and noncredit students; Whereas public community colleges are an affordable option charging average annual tuition and fees for in-district students of $3,990, have an average student age of 27, and serve students who often are working, low-income, parents, veterans, or the first in their family to go to college; Whereas community colleges are the primary educational institution serving workforce development needs in the United States, and are responding to current economic conditions by educating professionals in fields ranging from the semiconductor and construction industries to nursing and other health care professions; Whereas 49 percent of all students completing a bachelor’s degree at a four-year college in 2016 had been enrolled at a two-year public college in the previous decade; Whereas the median distance from a student’s home to a community college was only 10 miles; Whereas 82 percent of public high schools offer dual enrollment programs allowing their students to take college classes, usually at their local community college, offering opportunity to save time and money in college and jump start career exploration; Whereas alumni of community colleges generated $898,500,000,000 in added income to the national economy in fiscal year 2020, or 4.1 percent of the total gross domestic product; Whereas every dollar of public funding for community colleges returns $6.80 in tax revenue generated; and Whereas celebrating Community College Month in April provides the people of the United States with an opportunity to recognize the value of institutions that have long supported American prosperity, competitiveness, and community vitality and that will be important to the Nation’s economic future: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives recognizes the significance of Community College Month as an opportunity to celebrate over 1,000 community colleges throughout the United States serving local and regional needs and strengthening the American economy.