The way community colleges are funded in Texas could soon be transformed as legislation seeks to tie state dollars to student outcomes.

The effort has wide bipartisan support across both chambers, along with the stamp of approval of the state’s 50 community college districts and several business organizations who are rooting for the move.

The House’s bill on the overhaul is expected to pass that chamber today.

“This represents a major pivot,” said Jarrad Toussant, the Dallas Regional Chambers’ senior vice president for education and workforce. “It “shifts our [funding] system … to what is the new direction of our economy and the needs of our employers.”

Advocates say the move would be historic for Texas.

House Speaker Dade Phelan made the legislation one of his priorities for this legislative session.

Here’s what to know as the House bill — which had nearly 90 co-authors as of Tuesday afternoon — makes its way to the Senate this week:

How does Texas currently fund community colleges?

Community colleges in Texas are funded through a blend of local property taxes, student tuition and fees.

The state — which many say hasn’t kept up with such institutions’ rapidly changing needs — contributes less than 25%. Lawmakers control how much money the state will invest before it’s distributed to colleges based on enrollment.

Under the proposed revamp, the schools’ funding would be influenced by tallying the number of degrees and certificates a college awards; students who transfer to a four-year university; and students who complete at least 15 hours of courses that apply toward academic and workforce program requirements.

How much would this cost Texas?

The changes would require lawmakers to allocate about $650 million in additional funding toward community colleges per biennium, Harrison Keller, Texas’ commissioner of higher education, previously estimated.

Such funding would allow the schools to invest in more wraparound services to eliminate barriers to education and in innovative programs — such as in nursing, education, artificial intelligence or cybersecurity — which are often expensive to implement, Dallas College Chancellor Justin H. Lonon said.

This would allow institutions to “meet growing workforce demands across the state,” Collin College President Neil Matkin said in a statement.

What else would the bill do?

If the legislation is adopted, high school students from low-income families could enroll in dual credit courses at no cost through a new Financial Aid for Swift Transfer program.

Rep. Gary VanDeaver, R-New Boston, who filed the related bill in the House, said the overhaul could in turn help “bring students back into community college” by making it more affordable after the steep enrollment drops such institutions saw in the last few years.

“We have to get … all Texans back into the classrooms and into the workforce training areas to get them skills they need to be successful,” VanDeaver said.

The bill would address workforce shortages by expanding partnerships between colleges and private employers to provide students with paid, work-based learning opportunities, VanDeaver said.