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State Representative Patti Fritz
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-8237
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
NEWS COLUMN
House passes Higher Education Bill Other major bills head to Special Session
Last week the final version of the Omnibus Higher Education bill came back to the House from Conference Committee for a final vote. While this bill provides about $10 million more than the original House bill, but it is not enough to prevent tuition increases. Under this proposal, it is estimated that tuition will increase by 9% per year at the MnSCU institutions and 8% per year at the University of Minnesota.
I did not support this final spending bill. It did come back from Conference Committee a better bill than the one we passed in the House, but I do not believe that it addresses the increasing enrollment needs for MnSCU schools. In 2002, South Central Technical College saw a tuition increase of 7.14%, followed by 11 % in '03, 13.2% in '04 and 13% in '05. These rising costs are putting higher education out of reach for many students and their families.
One of the biggest challenges for the MnSCU schools is that enrollment adjustments, which were once guaranteed, have not been honored for the past several years. Consequently, increasing numbers of students are being educated in the state but the colleges and universities are not receiving more funding to pay for those added numbers.
The MnSCU system continues to have to do more with less, and it provides the bulk of the trained workforce in the state of Minnesota. In many ways, its' graduates are the backbone of the state, but the current bill does not acknowledge that. Our students just cannot afford another round of tuition increases.
End of session
As mandated by the State Constitution, the 2005 Legislative session ended on Monday. There was a flurry of activity in the final days, with completion of smaller bills and several Conference Committees working to resolve the differences in others. The omnibus bills present the biggest challenge, as they are large and involve funding for critical areas such as education and health care, and policy decisions on jobs, taxes and public safety.
I'm very pleased with what we have been able to accomplish so far this session. With bipartisan support, we passed a $945 million state bonding bill. Our communities fared exceptionally well, with $85 million for the Faribault Prison, over $5 million for South Central Technical College Applied Lab and a share of the $23 million in CREP funds. These projects will bring jobs and progress to our area.
The bipartisan spirit also produced a minimum wage increase, the first since 1988, and an ethanol bill that is good for our economy, as well as, the environment. With those successes, we have already achieved more than the previous legislature, and they are good indicators of what we can get done with true bipartisan cooperation.
There are several areas left to be resolved, including funding for K-12 education and health care. The spending amounts between the House and Senate bill are not that far apart; the differences lie in who will pay for them. I am optimistic that with hard work and a commitment to finishing the job, we will arrive at a balanced, moderate approach to our state budget that will adequately address these needs.
I want to thank everyone who visited me, called or wrote letters or emails. I appreciate all of the support and feedback you have given me and look forward to being available during the summer and fall to speak to groups or answer individual questions. Please continue to contact me at 1-800-292-0012, write to me at 239 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155 or email me at rep.patti.fritz@house.mn.
News Items
- STATE REP. PATTI FRITZ PARTICIPATES IN START OF LEGISLATIVE SESSION - (Posted: Jan 9 2013 3:32PM)
- Rep. Fritz: Homeowners, Farmers Need Property Tax Relief - (Posted: 2012-05-01 00:00:00)
- Rep. Fritz: Let’s Vote on a Bonding Bill that Benefits All - (Posted: 2012-04-19 00:00:00)
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