| For Immediate Release | For more information contact: |
| April 26, 2001 | Stephanie Brand (651-296-2317) |
(St. Paul) -- An important provision relating to the Minnesota State Colleges and University (MnSCU) allocation formula authored by Representative Marty Seifert (R- Marshall) has been incorporated into the Omnibus Higher Education bill. The bill, which will be debated on the House floor Monday instructs the MnSCU system to allocate each college and university in the system their base budget in addition to inflationary expenses appropriated by the legislature.
"In a worse case scenario, with the Governor's budget and MnSCU's allocation model, Southwest State University and Minnesota West would have been severely punished," Seifert said.
The House budget more than doubles the Governor's proposal for MnSCU. Under Seifert's language and the House budget, it is estimated that Southwest State would see an increase of 5.2%. Many previous estimates showed the university getting a zero percent increase.
The issue is likely to stay in the House Higher Education Finance bill and worked out in a House-Senate conference committee later in session.
Representative Marty Seifert is in his third term serving the citizens of District 21A. Seifert is the Lead Majority Whip, Vice Chair of the Rules & Legislative Administration committee and a member of the Education Policy, Higher Education Finance, Governmental Operations & Veterans Affairs and Redistricting committees. District 21A includes portions of Lyon, Redwood and Yellow Medicine Counties.
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