Legislative Notes for the Week of March 8 - March 12, 2004

Deadlines - 'Kinda'

House members set today, March 12, as the first deadline to complete action on bills, but the Senate has not agreed. So today's House agendas were jam-packed with authors trying to pass bills, while the Senate is on a different course. This will create a difficult problem for the closure of the session. No one in the Government Relations Office can recall a situation like this, so it should be interesting to watch.

Vote Yourself Off The Island?

Legislation allowing a vote of the faculty, students and president to determine if an institution remains a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System was discussed this week in the Senate Higher Education Budget Division. Chair Sandy Pappas (DFL - St. Paul) and Sen. Yvonne Prettner Solon (DFL - Duluth) said they had not heard of any problems in the colleges and universities that would call for legislation. Chancellor James McCormick testified about the system's concerns about legislation and the impact it would have on students. McCormick reported that the colleges and universities were delivering quality programs and services efficiently to students and that the Board of Trustees was making difficult choices and setting priorities. The full text of McCormick's remarks may be obtained on the Legislative Information Web site at http://www.mnscu.edu/Legislative/statelegislation/. No action was taken on the legislation.

Doctoral Degrees Heard in Senate

The legislation allowing state universities to offer applied doctoral degrees was heard in the Senate this week. Sen. John Hottinger (DFL - St. Peter) presented the bill and testimony was provided by Associate Vice Chancellor Manuel Lopez, Dennis Nunes of St. Cloud State University and Anthony Filipovitch ofMinnesota State University, Mankato. Representatives from the University of Minnesota raised concerns about the legislation.

Post Secondary Enrollment Options

Admission of high school students to colleges and universities is complicated for students in alternative learning centers and home school because of test scores and class rankings. Legislation introduced by Rep. Doug Fuller (R - Bemidji) would require institutions to use equivalent admission standards for all students.

No Action on Bonding Bill This Week

No action on the higher education portion of the bonding bill was taken in either the House or Senate this week. The capital investment committees are working on other sections of the bill. The House Capital Investment committee has scheduled a hearing for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 17, to take public testimony related to the higher education bonding recommendations.

Senate Committee Approves Employee Contracts

Senators in the Government Operations committee approved SF1866, the state employee labor agreements and compensation plan bill, and sent it to Senate Finance for final action this week. The next stop will be the full Senate for a vote. The bill is in the House Ways and Means Committee waiting for a vote to the floor.

Alternative Teacher Licensure

Legislation allowing the commissioner of education to issue alternative teacher licenses passed from the House Education Policy Committee to the House Higher Education Finance Division this week. The bill is scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday. Representatives from the University of Minnesota, the private colleges and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities have expressed concerns about the legislation. There are several alternative pathways to licensure already available through the Board of Teaching. Senators have not taken action on the bill.