Yesterday at the Capitol
The Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee released their omnibus bill yesterday, presented it in committee, marked it up and passed it. It will head next to the Finance Committee and then to the Senate floor. The bill appropriates $61.4 million to Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, of which $58.7 million of those funds are for student tuition relief. Below are links to the bill. The first two links are Articles 1-20, and the third link is the funding detail.
Article 1 – Higher Education Omnibus Bill (PDF)
Article 2 through 20 – Higher Education Omnibus Bill (PDF)
Target Allocations – Higher Education Omnibus Bill (PDF)
Over in the House, the House Higher Education Policy and Finance Committee also presented their bill yesterday and took testimony. The House bill includes $105 million for student tuition relief for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. The bills freezes tuition in the first year of the biennium at the two-year colleges, and reduces tuition by 1% in the second year of the biennium. The bill caps the four-year universities tuition at 3% in the first year of the biennium, and freezes tuition in the second year of the biennium. The committee plans to mark-up the bill today and pass it out of committee. It will then head to the Ways and Means Committee.
As a reminder, Governor Mark Dayton is recommending in his budget MnSCU’s full request of $142 million.
Today at the Capitol
8:15 a.m.
House State Government Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Sarah Anderson
Agenda: House State Government Finance Omnibus Bill Introduction and walkthrough, public testimony, and markup.
8:30 a.m.
Senate E-12 Budget Division
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Charles W. Wiger
Agenda:S.F. 811-Wiger: Pre-kindergarten through grade 12 education funding.
The E12 Division will do a walk-through of the delete-all amendment to S.F. 811 and will take action Thursday, April 16th. The amendment will be posted Tuesday afternoon. Public testimony will be taken.
10:00 a.m.
House in Session
12:00 p.m.
Senate Environment, Economic Development and Agriculture Budget Division
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. David J. Tomassoni
Agenda:
S.F. 1099-Rest: Children’s products chemicals of high concern presence reporting and regulation.
S.F. 1427-Eaton: Electronic waste management provisions modifications.
S.F. 1132-Scalze: Solid waste reduction and recycling funding purposes and solid waste management tax revenue allocation modifications; recycling market development study; state government effective recycling efforts implementation; appropriation.
S.F. 641-Saxhaug: \”Getting to Work\” pilot grant program establishment and appropriation.
Star Tribune Editorial (PDF)
SF641 Bill Summary (PDF)
County Vehicle Program Map (PDF)
12:45 p.m.
House Education Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Jenifer Loon
Agenda: House Education Finance Omnibus Bill – Public Comment
2:45 p.m.
House Higher Education Policy and Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bud Nornes
Agenda: HF845 (Nornes): HF 845 will be used to discuss and pass the Higher Education Omnibus Budget Bill.
Postsecondary education; budget established for higher education; funding provided for the Office of Higher Education, the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota, and the Mayo Clinic; state grant deduction modified; assigned family responsibility changes made; and money appropriated.
Amendments:
(4/14/2015) H0845A9 Amendment.pdf
(4/14/2015) H0845A13 Amendment.pdf
(4/14/2015) H0845A15 Amendment.pdf
(4/14/2015) H0845A8 Amendment.pdf
Looking Ahead
Thursday, April 16
8:15 a.m.
House State Government Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Sarah Anderson
Agenda: Continuation of the State Government Finance Omnibus Bill, if necessary
8:30 a.m.
Senate E-12 Budget Division
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Charles W. Wiger
Agenda: S.F. 811-Wiger: Pre-kindergarten through grade 12 education funding.
Delete-all amendment to S.F. 811 (PDF)
8:30 a.m.
Senate Finance
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Richard Cohen
Agenda: H.F. 283-Gazelka: Camp Ripley sentinel landscape designation and coordinating committee establishment.
S.F. 888-Saxhaug: State government, veterans and military affairs appropriations bill.
10:15 a.m.
House Taxes
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Greg Davids
Agenda:
HF2131 (Nash) Vendor sales tax allowance provided.
HF1825 (Slocum) Automated sale suppression device use criminal penalties provided.
HF1479 (Wills) Higher education expense refundable credit and subtraction established.
HF420 (O’Neill) STEM and long-term care employees tax credit provided.
The following bills with have an informational hearing:
HF 2143 (Zerwas) Ambulance service exemption extended
HF 2182 (Davids) Nicotine solution used in electronic cigarettes tax rate changed
HF749 (Hamilton) Workforce housing grant program created, tax credits created for workforce housing, reports required, and money appropriated.
11:00 a.m.
Senate in Session
12:00 p.m.
Senate Environment, Economic Development and Agriculture Budget Division
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. David J. Tomassoni
Agenda: S.F. XXXX: Omnibus Division Budget Bill.
12:00 p.m.
House Ways and Means
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chari: Rep. Jim Knoblach
Agenda:
House Budget Resolution
HF1437 (Hamilton) Omnibus Agriculture Finance bill
HF4 (Kelly) Omnibus Transportation Finance bill
Both HF1437 – the omnibus Agriculture Finance bill, & HF0004 – the omnibus Transportation Finance bill, will be heard pending referral to Ways & Means
12:45 p.m.
House Capital Investment
Room: Basement hearing room in State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Paul Torkelson (Alternate Chair: Chris Swedzinski)
Agenda: Presentation by the Department of Administration on the Capitol restoration project out-of-scope spending.
Presentation by the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency on last years housing bonding project.
HF621 (Torkelson) Appropriations of general obligation bond proceeds modified and corrected
HF622 (Torkelson) Higher education asset preservation and replacement at the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities provided funding, bonds issued, and money appropriated
2:00 p.m. *note room change*
Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Terri E. Bonoff
Agenda: Governor’s Appointments to the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities:
Kelly Charpentier-Berg
Robert Hoffman
Maleah Otterson
Louise Sundin
Erma Vizenor
Thursday, April 23
2:00 p.m.
Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Terri E. Bonoff
Agenda: Governor’s Appointments to the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities: John Cowles
Governor’s Appointments to the Minnesota Higher Education Facilities Authority: Michael Ranum and Nancy Sampair
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
Leave a Reply