St. Paul, MN. – Last night, the Minnesota House of Representatives advanced the compromise higher education budget bill. House DFLers negotiated with the Republican-led Senate with a goal of using limited resources to protect students from rising costs, while also keeping Minnesota institutions vibrant and competitive. State Representative Dan Wolgamott (DFL - St. Cloud) authored notable provisions in the bill that fund affordable textbooks and food security for college students.
“I’m proud to secure two victories for our college students by passing my legislation to make textbooks more affordable and address hunger on our campuses,” Rep. Wolgamott said. “This past year hit our college students incredibly hard, and this budget secures tools and resources to help those at St. Cloud State and St. Cloud Technical Community College learn, thrive, and receive a world-class education.”
Rep. Wolgamott’s legislation funds the Z-Degree program as well as the Hunger Free Campus Act. The expansion and increase of the Z-Degree program in this budget invests $500 thousand to help reduce the cost of textbooks and course materials for students, and the Hunger Free Campus Act received $307 thousand to address food insecurity on college campuses. These investments were made in response to student testimony about the challenges faced in the past year, and the need for more direct support for student health and wellness. The bill also has investments in mental health resources, and contains emergency grant assistance to meet housing and transportation needs.
Among other items, the budget also includes:
-Funding for Underrepresented Teacher Grants
-U of M Natural Resources Research Institute Funding Increase
-Enhanced Student Transcript Access
-Student Transfer Report
-SELF-Loan Cap Increase
-Risk Analysis for Financially Struggling Schools
-College Possible Increase and Report
-Small Campus Aid Increase
-Childcare Grant Maximums
-Concurrent Enrollment Updates
-Basic Needs Hub Requirements
The bill language is available here. The spreadsheet can be found here. A video recording of today’s floor debate is available on the House Public Information YouTube channel.