Minnesota House of Representatives
District 17A 651-296-4228 – rep.andrew.falk@house.mn
439 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Matt Privratsky
(651) 296-6860
May 17, 2013
HOUSE PASSES HIGHER EDUCATION BILL FREEZE TO TUITION, INCREASE LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT OF U of M and MnSCU SPENDING
ST. PAUL, MN – The House of Representatives passed the House Higher Education Conference Committee Report today on a bipartisan vote of 76-56. Included in the bill is funding that will directly benefit students by freezing tuition at both the University of Minnesota (U of M) and the Minnesota State Colleges and University system (MnSCU). The bill also dramatically increases funding for the State Grant Program that provides education funding for low income students. State Representative Gene Pelowski (DFL – Winona), Chair of the Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee, said his bill puts a long overdue focus on holding down tuition and reducing debt for students.
“For the first time in almost a decade, we get to reinvest in higher education,” said Rep. Pelowski. “It’s almost all going to students, either in the form of grants or lower tuition.”
Last year, the legislature made record cuts to higher education in the state budget. Tuition has nearly doubled at state colleges and universities over the past decade. The bill would increase funding for higher education by $250 million, using half of those resources to freeze in-state resident tuition over the next two years. There will also be $35 million allocated 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.
“This is a problem that’s affecting not only our state, but the whole country,” said Rep. Andrew Falk (DFL – Murdock). “I’m a fairly recent graduate of the U of M, and even since then, this issue has become much more troubling. College needs to be affordable and accessible for students in our communities and those across the state. This bill starts to address that issue.”
In order to allow greater access to higher education, the bill also includes the Minnesota Prosperity Act. More commonly known as the ‘Dream Act’, certain undocumented youth will be eligible for state financial aid and in-state tuition rates. Eligible students must meet the following criteria:
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Have attended and graduated from a Minnesota high school for three years.
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File an affidavit with the respective college/university saying they will apply to change their immigration status as soon as they are able.
It is supported by a wide range of stakeholders, including the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, Education MN, MnSCU, private colleges, the University of Minnesota, and both Republicans and Democrats.
The bill also includes new reforms to expand the oversight function of the legislature. They 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.
The House Higher Education committee held fourteen hearings on the oversight needed. They looked at the dramatic increase in student tuition, fees, and debt over the past six years, examined student-to-faculty ratios, and scrutinized administrative costs and trends over the past decade. The hearings led to more efficiencies in Minnesota’s state colleges and it will help provide a greater value for students who attend in the future.
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