ST. PAUL, MN – Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the Omnibus Higher Education Finance bill on an 86-44 vote. 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), including Central Lakes College. State Representatives John Ward (DFL – Baxter) and Joe Radinovich (DFL – Crosby) supported the legislation.
“Our community and technical colleges are on the front lines of workforce development and job training for our communities,” said Rep. Radinovich. “I have family who have attended Central Lakes College for welding and nursing, and I understand that post-secondary education is the gateway to the middle class and future prosperity. We have to ensure that our higher education institutions are affordable and accessible to every Minnesotan, no matter your income.”
The bill would increase funding for higher education by $150 million, using most of those resources to freeze in-state resident tuition over the next two years. There will also be $18 million allocated to the MnDrive research program at the University of Minnesota and almost $11 million allocated to the Office of Higher Education to increase grants for access, choice, and debt reduction.
“Last year, the legislature made record cuts to higher education in the state budget, and tuition has nearly doubled at state colleges and universities over the past decade,” said Rep. Ward. “Central Lakes College has been a great partner for our local businesses and high schools. They do excellent work in job training and development. Their work boosts our economy and we need to support it.
“This is a great bill that will help our students and ensure that our higher education institutions are held accountable for the money they spend.”
The House 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. The committee 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 product of that work can be seen in new reforms that were drafted in consultation with the Office of Legislative Auditor to expand the oversight function of the legislature to better hold the U of M and MnSCU accountable for the money they are spending.