St. Paul, MN - Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the House Higher Education Committee’s package of policy proposals, House File 4024. The bill, which is a focused effort to build off the landmark investments included in the 2023 Higher Education Budget, passed on a bipartisan vote of 100-32.
State Representative Dan Wolgamott (DFL - St. Cloud), who serves as Vice Chair of the Higher Education Committee, included a technical fix in the legislation that delivers $10 million to help support the CentraCare/U of M Medical School in St. Cloud.
“As we work to bring a medical school to St. Cloud, the changes in today’s bill ensure the investment we made in this project last year is used as intended,” said Rep. Wolgamott. “This medical school won’t just be a win for St. Cloud, but for Central Minnesota. Building this campus is a crucial component for increasing access to healthcare and educating the next generation of rural physicians.”
Last year’s Higher Education Budget saw a $4 billion investment in the state’s institutions of higher learning, with much of the funding aimed at correcting the declining enrollment seen across Minnesota’s colleges and universities. Since the passage of the budget, which included a tuition freeze at Minnesota State and free college to students with household income under $80,000, enrollment across the Minnesota State system is up for the first time in over a decade. The policies proposed in HF 4024 would make these investments even more effective.
A highlight of the bill expands the state’s workforce development scholarships. In 2017, the Legislature established a state workforce development scholarship program that has provided funding for hundreds of $2,500 scholarships. In order to build the clean energy workforce of the future, the legislation adds the energy sector to the list of the program’s applicable, high-demand fields.
In addition to the fix for the CentraCare medical school funding, other policy updates focus on changes to funding capital projects for postsecondary schools, regulations on third-party companies that run online academic programs, updates to state laws assisting students with disabilities, and a series of reforms around how public colleges and universities handle sexual harassment and violence.
More information on the House Higher Education Committee’s policy proposals can be found via the bill’s research brief. Video of today’s floor debate can be found on the House Public Information YouTube channel.
###