The State constitution and state statutes require Nebraska's Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education to review the budget requests of the University of Nebraska, the Nebraska State College System, and the community colleges in light of specific criteria set forth in the statutes. The Commission also makes recommendations on major statewide funding issues and initiatives, as suggested by statute. The Commission's recommendations begin with a discussion of statewide funding issues and initiatives. This biennium, the Commission recommends that the state concentrate on two statewide issues: financial aid for low-income students, including the Access College Early (ACE) program for high school students from low-income families, and continued state support for public postsecondary institutions. After considering statewide issues, the recommendations turn to the institutional requests. In the process of developing the public postsecondary education budget recommendations for the 2019-21 biennium, the Commission reviewed 11 requests as part of the continuation budget requests, one request for a new and expanded program, and the community college state aid request. In its recommendations, the Commission recognizes that financing higher education is a shared responsibility between the state and students, but believes that the preponderance of the responsibility for affordable public higher education rests with the state.