SAINT PAUL, MINN—Thanks to the state budget supported by Representative Dan Fabian (R-Roseau) and Representative Deb Kiel (R-Crookston), students starting at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) this fall, including Northland Community and Technical College (NCTC), will save on average more than $600.
For the 2016-17 school year, the legislature froze tuition at all four-year MnSCU campuses and lowered tuition at two-year MnSCU campuses. In total, that budget provided $52 million in savings for Minnesota college students over the biennium at MnSCU campuses.
“Supporting students at NCTC in East Grand Forks and Thief River Falls was a priority this session, and I am pleased we were able to provide significant tuition relief to help save folks money while they achieve a higher education, further their careers and contribute to our local communities and economy,” said Rep. Kiel.
In addition to passing tuition relief for college students across the state, Representatives Fabian and Kiel also supported a first-in-the-nation tax credit totaling $110 million for Minnesotans with student loan debt, a refundable tax credit of up to $1,000. What’s more, they also supported $49 million in tax relief for families who contribute to 529 Plans to save for their children’s’ college costs. Both initiatives, which were part of a larger, bipartisan tax bill, were vetoed by Governor Mark Dayton.
“Providing meaningful tuition relief for students at NCTC is important, and we also wanted to couple that with meaningful tax relief for college graduates and families,” said Rep. Fabian. “Unfortunately, the governor chose to veto significant tax relief for folks in Northwest Minnesota this year, blocking bipartisan efforts to ease the cost of higher education for students and families in our state.”