HRES1209Referred to Committee

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.

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2026-04-23
Introduced
42
Cosponsors
HRES
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Joe Courtney
Joe Courtney
Democrat · CT · Representative
Votes with party: 96.7% (576 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/C001069

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (42)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

2026-04-23

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

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Plain-English Summary

This resolution designates April as "Community College Month" to recognize the more than 1,000 community colleges across the United States that provide affordable education and job training to millions of students. Community colleges help people gain skills for careers, earn degrees, and access higher education without the high costs of four-year universities, which supports both individual economic mobility and the nation's workforce needs. The resolution is a symbolic measure that celebrates these institutions' role in strengthening the economy and expanding educational opportunities.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

Subjects

Education

Full Bill Text

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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H. Res. 1209 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1209 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. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 23, 2026 Mr. Courtney (for himself, Ms. King-Hinds, Ms. Norton, Mrs. McIver, Mr. Min, Mr. Norcross, Mr. Quigley, Ms. Craig, Mr. Bell, Mr. Takano, Ms. Salinas, Ms. Dexter, Mr. Olszewski, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Riley of New York, Mrs. McBath, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mrs. Grijalva, Mr. Kennedy of New York, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Landsman, Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Ms. Chu, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Neal, Mr. Lynch, Ms. Bynum, Mr. Bilirakis, and Mr. Carbajal) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform _______________________________________________________________________ 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 meet their people's needs for educational and economic opportunity; Whereas today 1,024 community colleges, including 924 public, 36 Tribal, and 64 independent colleges, serve 10,500,000 credit and noncredit students; Whereas recent enrollment data show that community colleges are leading postsecondary growth, with enrollment increasing by 4 percent, demonstrating continued progress in student access and participation; Whereas public community colleges are an affordable option charging average annual tuition and fees for in-district students of $4,050, 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 who completed a bachelor's degree at a four- year institution in the 2015-2016 academic year had been enrolled at a two-year public institution in the previous decade; Whereas the median distance from a student's home to a community college was only 10 miles as of 2023; 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 jumpstart career exploration; Whereas alumni of America's 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…
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supported American prosperity, competitiveness, and community vitality and that will be important to the Nation's economic future: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, 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. <all>
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