St. Paul, Minn. – Yesterday, the Minnesota House of Representatives approved the bipartisan Higher Education compromise legislation on HF 3872 a vote of 68-63.
The supplemental funding invests in a new Inclusive Higher Education Grant program, authored by Representative Ginny Klevorn (DFL-Plymouth), to create postsecondary opportunities for Minnesota students with intellectual disabilities.
The only all-women conference committee in the Minnesota Legislature, Rep. Klevorn helped negotiate a deal with the Senate to allocate $20 million in investments toward improvements to student affordability, equity, well-being, and research.
“All Minnesotans deserve post-secondary opportunities to help them grow, thrive, and build their pathways to success,” said Rep. Klevorn. “It was an honor to serve on the negotiating team to get this bipartisan investment across the finish line. I’m particularly pleased with the new Higher Education Grant program included in the final bill, which will open doors for Minnesota students with disabilities.”
The conference committee report includes numerous House provisions that build on progress made in last year’s budget to expand support for student-centered initiatives, including State Grant Award Increases and grants to support underrepresented student teachers, student parent centers, hunger free campuses, MinnState Campus Support, and funds U of M Promise Scholarships.
The final legislation also addresses critical workforce shortages via investments in the governor’s Certified Nurses Assistant Training Program, Allied Health Technician Scholarships, and MinnState Workforce Development scholarships to support construction, social work, and law enforcement careers.
Importantly, the final budget will create new campus support investments at Minnesota’s three independent Tribal Colleges (Leech Lake, Red Lake & White Earth).
Finally, the higher education conference report includes a $2 million increase for the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) operated by the U of M in Duluth and Coleraine. The final agreement also increases the cap for funds coming from the Permanent University Fund that would go to support the work of NRRI and student scholarships in various fields at Duluth and at Mesabi Range. The changes result in approximately 240 more students receiving scholarships at UMD for at least the next decade, possibly longer.
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