Legislative Update – March 4, 2015

Yesterday at the Capitol

The House Higher Education Policy and Finance Committee heard HF742 yesterday, a bill introduced by Rep. Marion O’Neill, R-Maple Lake, that would require campus sexual harassment and sexual violence policy changes. O’Neill told committee members that a lot of effort by many people and organizations went into shaping the bill. She introduced a delete-all amendment, which is a re-write of the bill. The latest engrossment (delete-all amendment) is not yet available online, but a scanned copy is attached for your reference.

The bill includes language that would require colleges and universities to create an online reporting system through which students may report sexual harassment and sexual violence incidents. Also included in the bill is language that would require all incoming students to complete training on sexual assault no later than 10 business days after the start of a student’s first semester. After much discussion, the committee approved the amended bill and referred it to the Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy and Finance Committee.

Today at the Capitol

11:00 a.m.
Senate in Session

12:15 p.m.
House in Session

12:45 p.m.
House Education Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Jenifer Loon
Agenda: HF40 (Persell) K-12 pupil transportation full funding provided.
HF1223 (Newton) Independent School District No. 11, Anoka-Hennepin, Secondary Technical Education Program grant funding provided for a fabrication lab; and money appropriated.
HF1224 (Daniels) Minnesota State Academies for the Deaf and Blind funding provided for technology and operations.
HF1389 (Persell): Transportation sparsity formula modified

2:00 p.m.
Senate Jobs, Agriculture and Rural Development
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Dan Sparks
Agenda:
S.F. 949-Reinert: Minnesota seed law exemption and definitions modification.
S.F. 961-Jensen: Agricultural educator grant program establishment and appropriation.
S.F. 933-Koenen: Beginning farmer program tax credits establishment.
S.F. 820-Sparks: Agriculture research, education and technology transfer board establishment and appropriation

2:45 p.m.
House Higher Education Policy and Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bud Nornes
Agenda: HF89 (Davnie): Instructional materials tax exemption modified.
HF1022 (Christensen): Child care grant eligibility modified.
Presentation from North Hennepin Community College

7:00 p.m.
Joint Senate and House Session
University of Minnesota Regent Selection

Looking Ahead

Thursday, March 5
8:15 a.m.
House Education Innovation Policy
Room: Basement Hearing Room
Chair: Rep. Sondra Erickson
Agenda: HF1237 (Christensen): Individualized education program provisions modified
HF1094 (Mullery): Early brain development prioritized in the early childhood family education home visiting program
HF1024 (Davnie): School districts provided training and technical assistance to reduce use of seclusion and restraint
HF804 (Christensen): School districts required to contract with student information system vendors that are able to seamlessly transfer records of students with disabilities
HF332 (Runbeck): Childhood literacy provisions modified
HF964 (Wills): Legislative auditor’s 2013 report on special education portions implemented

8:30 a.m.
Senate Education
Room: 107 Capitol

Chair: Sen. Charles W. Wiger
Agenda:
S.F. 990-Wiger: Digital student achievement backpack establishment.
S.F. 1210-Hoffman, J.: Public postsecondary faculty member experienced in teaching subjects for which secondary and postsecondary credits are available licensure authorization.
S.F. 1185-Petersen: Practice or student teachers placement requirements modification and clarification.
S.F. 959-Clausen: School year-long student teaching programs inclusion in teacher preparation programs rules curriculum requirements.
S.F. 995-Clausen: Concurrent education enrollment program establishment and appropriation

10:15 a.m.
House Agriculture Policy
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Paul Anderson
Agenda: HF880 (Anderson) Agricultural education teachers provided loan forgiveness, rulemaking authorized, and money appropriated.
HF879 (Anderson) Agricultural educator grant program established, and money appropriated.
HF812 (Bly) Income tax credit for sales or rentals of agricultural assets to beginning farmers provided, income tax credit for beginning farmer financial management programs provided, and the beginning farmer program administered by the Rural Finance Authority modified.
HF1051 (Poppe) Agricultural growth, research, and innovation program grants authorized, and money appropriated.
HF1074 (Marquart) Agricultural Growth, Research, and Investment (AGRI) program extended for ten years; portion of annual AGRI spending dedicated to farm business management scholarships; income tax credits to encourage beginning farmers provided; beginning farmer individual development accounts and supplemental farm business management program funding provided, and money appropriated

12:45 p.m.
House Greater Minnesota Economic and Workforce Development Policy
Room: Basement hearing room
Chair: Rep. Bob Gunther
Agenda: HF614 (Baker): Long-term care workforce needs provided, and money appropriated
HF684 (Fabian): Workforce housing use provided
HF422 (Fabian): Workforce housing grant program provided, and money appropriated
HF749 (Hamilton): Office of Workforce Housing created, workforce housing grant program and tax credits for workforce housing created, workforce housing grant funding provided, reports required, and money appropriated

2:00 p.m.

Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Budget Division
Room: 107 Capitol

Chair: Sen. Terri E. Bonoff
Agenda: S.F. 375-Hall: Child care higher education student grant eligibility modification.
S.F. 682-Nelson: Student foreign language proficiency provisions modifications.
S.F. 856-Nelson: Postsecondary enrollment options (PSEO) program full credit for completed PSEO courses requirement; transfer curriculum report requirement

Tuesday, March 10
8:30 a.m.
Senate Finance
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Richard Cohen
Agenda: Presentation of February Forecast by MMB
Confirmation of Commissioner Myron Frans, MMB

Thank you.

Melissa Fahning
Director of Legislative Communications
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
651-201-1757 (work) 612-483-3741 (cell)
melissa.fahning@so.mnscu.edu

 

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