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RELEASE: Christensen Cuts the Cost of College bills heard in Higher Education Committee

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

ST. PAUL – State Representative Drew Christensen, R- Savage, presented three bills to cut the cost of college for Minnesota students in the Higher Education and Career Readiness Policy and Finance Committee. The three bills, House File 2197, 2198, and 2313, are focused on reducing the overall costs of college for students.

“The Christensen Cuts the Cost of College bills is about lowering the cost of attending college in Minnesota,” said Rep. Christensen, chief author of all three bills. “For too long students have not only faced rising tuition for classes but also large increases in extra fees. These bills attempt to tackle both causes of increased costs.”

House File 2313 will appropriate money to lower tuition at Minnesota State schools by at least one percent for the 2017-2018 school year and freeze tuition for the 2018-2019 academic year.

House File 2197 and House File 2198 are two attempts at reducing the amount of fees students at Minnesota State and the University of Minnesota pay. House File 2197 requires a campus-wide vote to approve any increase in student fees over the previous year; while HF 2198 prohibits mandatory student fees that fund non-instructional student programs, making student fees optional. An increase in student fees directly related to academic, administrative, or health services are exempted from both bills.

All three bills were laid over for possible inclusion in the Higher Education omnibus bill.

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