ST. PAUL, Minn. - Today, the Minnesota House passed the Omnibus Higher Education bill on a vote of 77-53. The investments in the bill fall well below the requests of the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State systems, and funding for the Minnesota State Grant Program is just a fraction of that proposed by Governor Dayton.
Rep. Jennifer Schultz (DFL – Duluth) released the following statement:
“Public higher education in Minnesota has been chronically underfunded for much of the last decade and a half. Unfortunately, because of the Republicans’ continued insistence on massive tax cuts for the richest Minnesotans, this bill will lead to tuition increases at our public universities. This will undoubtedly lead to more Minnesotans falling under mountains of debt.
“It’s up to us to provide meaningful investments in our colleges and universities, not just to ensure students can obtain degrees, but to increase economic opportunities for all Minnesotans and be a driving force toward growth and global competitiveness well into the future. This bill falls short of that goal.”
Rep. Schultz serves on the House Higher Education and Career Readiness Committee and is a Professor of Economics at the University of Minnesota – Duluth.