Yesterday at the Capitol
Governor Dayton urges lawmakers to invest in education
Governor Mark Dayton delivered his State of the State address yesterday evening to a joint session of the Legislature and guests. In his address, Dayton reaffirmed his commitment to freeze tuition at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and the University of Minnesota. “The University of Minnesota, the MnSCU colleges and universities, and state financial aid for students are equally deserving of increased support,” Dayton said. He continued, “In 2013, the Legislature approved a $249 million increase in higher education funding for the current biennium. That increase, however, only replaced the $246 million reduction enacted in 2011.” Dayton said that state support for higher education in fiscal year 2012 dropped to its lowest level in over thirty years.
Dayton urged lawmakers to work closely with MnSCU and the University of Minnesota’s boards, administrators, faculties, and his administration, to identify Minnesota employers’ unmet needs for skilled graduates and determine how best to meet them. “I ask each legislator to bring business leaders together with higher education administrators in her or his district; find out how well those campuses are providing the training needed for present and future workforces; and bring solutions to this and future legislative sessions,” Dayton said.
The Governor said, “Chief Executive Officers of so many companies have told me that the number one reason why they chose to expand here rather than in other states was the quality of Minnesota’s workforce, which is also directly related to the quality of their educations. However, the future superiority of our workforce and their productivity is in no way guaranteed. It must be continuously earned.”
In regards to bonding, the Governor once again asked both chambers to pass a bonding bill and not wait until next year. Dayton spoke about why the state shouldn’t wait. “Interest rates remain low, we have capacity for the debt service within existing guidelines, and many of those and other improvements are urgently needed,” Dayton said. He spoke about his recommendation to provide $70 million to both MnSCU and the University of Minnesota for badly needed repairs and replacements on campuses around the state. “We need those improvements to offer world-class postsecondary educations in world-class facilities. Without them, we won’t be competitive in attracting the students we need for our state’s future vitality,” Dayton said.
Senate higher education one step closer to omnibus bill
The Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee met yesterday to hear a long list of bills before the committee crafts their omnibus bill early next week. The first bill heard was SF893, introduced by Senator Foung Hawj, DFL-St. Paul. The bill would provide for a Kathleen McCullough-Zander Success in Nursing Program to prepare students for a career in nursing. A delete-all amendment passed that would make the program a pilot, providing $50,000 to implement a program to assist foreign-born students and groups underrepresented in nursing to succeed in postsecondary nursing programs at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Century College and two other state colleges or universities located outside the seven-county metropolitan area. Kathleen McCollough-Zander’s husband David Zander, testified on behalf of the program, and told members that his late wife had been working to develop the healthcare workforce and increase the diversity in the field. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
SF1716, a bill introduced by Senator Gary Dahms, R-Redwood Falls, was also heard by the committee yesterday. This bill authorizes grants for agricultural growth, research and innovation programs. After much discussion, the committee deleted sections not in the committee’s jurisdiction, and laid the others over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill. Senator Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka, presented SF1981, a bill that provides scholarships for student interns at the Washington Center’s creditworthy internship program. The bill would appropriate $100,000 each year of the biennium to the Office of Higher Education to provide scholarships to Minnesota residents attending Minnesota public or private degree-granting higher education institutions. The scholarships are for attending and participating in the Washington Center’s academic internship program. The bill was also laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
SF959, a bill introduced by Senator Greg Clausen, DFL-Apple Valley, was also heard yesterday by the committee, and would provide for a pilot program for teacher preparation programs to offer a year-long student teaching experience instead of one semester. The bill was amended to include only the language regarding the year-long student teacher program pilot grants. Under the provision, $350,000 would be appropriated to MnSCU to award up to two pilot grants to system institutions with a teacher preparation program to provide a year-long student teaching program. This bill was also laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.
The committee is expected to meet on Tuesday next week to hear about the University of Minnesota’s medical school and roll out their omnibus bill.
Today at the Capitol
8:30 a.m.
Senate Capital Investment
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. LeRoy Stumpf
Agenda: S.F. 699-Pratt: Disaster relief bond issue and appropriations.
11:00 a.m.
House Ways and Means
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Jim Knoblach
Agenda:
HF1429 (Dill) Beltrami, Carlton, Cass, Crow Wing, Dakota, Goodhue, Hennepin, Hubbard, Lake, Martin, Pine, St. Louis, Todd, Washington, and Winona Counties; public and private sales and conveyances of state lands provided, and prior sale authority modified
HF1164 (Zerwas) Commercial motor vehicle road test requirements for school bus endorsement modified, and third-party testing provisions for school bus companies modified.
HF631 (Runbeck) Motor vehicle registration refunds provided
HF815 (Dill) Agricultural product motor vehicle weight limit permit requirements amended, and hauling product for use as a biofuel provided
HF177 (Sanders) Self-service storage insurance regulated.
11:30 a.m.
House Education Finance
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Jenifer Loon
Agenda: HF983 (Lucero) State aid new source created for school districts with low general education revenue per pupil and low property wealth per pupil.
HF498 (Dettmer) Physical education standards and benchmarks provided
HF1283 (Peterson) Teacher-powered school grants provided, and money appropriated. – Informational Only
HF250 (Newton) School personnel notice and reporting requirements added. [Informational Only]
HF1134 (Newton) Teaching license granted to public postsecondary faculty experienced in teaching subjects for which secondary and postsecondary credits are available.
12:00 p.m.
House Job Growth & Energy Affordability Policy and Finance
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Pat Garofalo
Agenda: Continued public comment on the Job Growth and Energy Affordability Omnibus Policy and Finance bill.
2:45 p.m.
House Agriculture Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Rod Hamilton
Agenda: HF1437 (Hamilton) Agriculture, animal health, and agricultural utilization research funding provided; retail food establishment and food handler license fees provided; agriculture related provisions policy and technical changes made; farm opportunity loan program established; fees and surcharges modified; accounts created; and money appropriated.
Looking Ahead
Monday, April 13
11:00 a.m.
Senate in Session
3:00 p.m.
Senate State and Local Government
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Patricia Torres Ray
Agenda:
S.F. 1398-Pappas: 2015 Omnibus Retirement Bill.
Confirmation of Gambling Control Board Member Geno Fragnito
Confirmation of Gambling Control Board Member Beth Pinkney
3:30 p.m.
House in Session
4:00 p.m.
Senate State Departments and Veterans Budget Division
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Tom Saxhaug
Agenda: S.F. 888-Saxhaug: State government, veterans and military affairs appropriations bill.
State Dept and Veterans Budget Division Detailed Spreadsheet (PDF)
State Dept and Veterans Budget Division Change Item Spreadsheet (PDF)
State Dept and Veterans Budget Division A-4 Delete All Amendment (PDF)
Tuesday, April 14
2:00 p.m.
Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Budget Division
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Terri E. Bonoff
Agenda:
Presentation – International Leaders in Health Research – University of Minnesota
S.F. 5-Bonoff: Workforce development; employees dual training competency grants program development and appropriation – SF 5 will be used to discuss and pass the Higher Education Omnibus Budget Bill.
2:00 p.m.
Senate State Departments and Veterans Budget Division
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Tom Saxhaug
Agenda: S.F. 888-Saxhaug: State government, veterans and military affairs appropriations bill.
4:30 p.m.
House Agriculture Finance
Room: 10 State Office Building
Agenda: HF1437 (Hamilton) Agriculture, animal health, and agricultural utilization research funding provided; retail food establishment and food handler license fees provided; agriculture related provisions policy and technical changes made; farm opportunity loan program established; fees and surcharges modified; accounts created; and money appropriated.
Bill Introductions
Please see the attached spreadsheet for the higher education related bill introductions.
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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