My husband, Pete, often jokes that we suffer from "maltuition," caused by the cost of paying for our three youngest children to attend college.

Like many parents, we have seen the cost of higher education rise each year. While my husband and I joke about the drain on our income, the rising cost of higher education is a serious matter that deserves action this legislative session.

The importance of higher education cannot be overstated. We spend hours encouraging our children to do their homework, study and make good grades, because we want a better future for them. We stress the importance of pursuing higher education because we know that a bachelor's degree is the key to a more secure economic future and a fulfilling career.

As the cost of higher education in Texas continues to rise, children from working families are being squeezed out of the entering freshman classes at our public institutions. We must make sure that whatever action we take is a long-term solution for keeping higher education affordable for our families.

The plan proposed by Gov. Rick Perry requires institutions to freeze tuition for students' college tuition rates for four years at the rate he or she pays as an entering freshman. A "tuition freeze" is a short-term, politically expedient solution. A tuition freeze doesn't serve Texas families' interests in the long run because it does nothing to ensure that tuition will not skyrocket for the next entering freshman class.

Some of my colleagues have proposed legislation that would place a two-year moratorium on any tuition rate increases and then limit tuition increases to the consumer price index. This proposal would punish many emerging universities that have been sensitive to students' concerns about tuition and have not raised their tuition to the extent of UT-Austin. This is like punishing the entire class because a couple of students cheated on an exam, even when you know the rest of the class is innocent.

Another group of colleagues is proposing tuition re-regulation – removing the control of tuition costs from the regents at public institutions and back to the Legislature. However, I am afraid that if we return to a system where the Legislature decides, given the immediate economic crisis, our current leadership will not provide adequate funding to our universities and our students will be the ones who suffer again.

All of my colleagues agree that something must be done to rein in the cost of higher education, but there is a wide divergence on what is the best course of action.

Under SB 214, our Texas colleges and universities will be allowed to increase tuition rates up to 5 percent from the previous year – reining in the exorbitant increases. The five percent limit will allow Texas' families to project and plan for the cost of their child's higher education, while still providing our emerging universities with the resources they need to continue to provide our students with a high-quality education. If any college or university feels they need to have more than a 5 percent increase, then they must seek permission from the Legislature.

An investment in higher education is one of the best investments the Legislature can make in the future of our state. It is important that we keep higher education affordable for working families in Texas. We need to stop our universities from overeating at the tuition trough and cure our parents suffering from "maltuition."