ST. PAUL, MN – Earlier this afternoon, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed a Higher Education budget bill by a vote of 76-56.The legislation received support from both sides of the aisle and now heads to Governor Dayton to be signed into law.
The bill freezes tuition at both the University of Minnesota (U of M) and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system (MnSCU) over the next two years following a decade of cuts to the state’s higher education budget. Those budget cuts caused tuition to more than double, saddling young adults with record amounts of debt.
The bill also includes substantial funding increases for the State Grant Program, which provides education funding for low-income students. It reinstates a long-overdue focus on holding down tuition and reducing debt for students at Minnesota’s public colleges and universities.
“Stopping tuition from soaring any higher is a positive step towards a brighter future for our young adults and our economy overall,” said Rep. Poppe. “The approach we are taking is fundamentally different from what has happened over the past decade. We’re moving Minnesota forward and giving young people more opportunities. I was proud to support the bill.”
The bill seeks to undo the damage caused by the previous legislature’s record cuts to higher education. It increases funding by $250 million, using half of those resources to freeze in-state resident tuition over the next two years. In addition, it allocates $35 million to the MnDrive research program at the University of Minnesota and over $75 million allocated to the Office of Higher Education to increase grants for access, choice, and debt reduction.
Another component of the bill includes new reforms to expand the oversight function of the legislature. The reforms are designed to better hold the U of M and MnSCU accountable for budgeting practices that have come under fire for high administrative costs and excessive compensation for top administrators.
Rep. Poppe encourages her constituents to contact her with any questions or comments. She can be reached by phone at (651) 296-4193, by email at rep.jeanne.poppe@house.mn, or by postal mail at 487 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.