Legislative Notes for July 16, 2007

State Update

National Governors Association awards grant to Minnesota

The National Governors Association (NGA) has awarded Minnesota a $500,000 grant which will be used to help improve math and science education in Minnesota schools. In 2005 Minnesota also received a $2 million NGA grant to improve Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education.

During the 2007 legislative session, the Legislature approved funding for the creation of regional Math & Science Teacher Academies throughout Minnesota. The grant, along with the $3 million provided by the Legislature, will be used toward the creation of those academies.

The Math & Science Teacher Academies, developed by the Minnesota Department of Education, will provide professional development and training opportunities for elementary, middle school and secondary teachers in math and science curriculum, standards and instruction. The academies will train teachers to provide professional development to other instructors from across the state on the best practices for educating students in math and science. This year, Minnesota will start the academies with professional development in the area of math, particularly middle school math, where Minnesota’s standards are undergoing the most significant change.

As a part of this grant, the Minnesota Department of Education will also work with local school districts to create STEM schools across the state, which will focus on integrating technology and engineering into science and math curricula.

Federal Update

Full House passes Pell Grant increases

Last week the U.S House of Representatives passed the College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 (H. R.2669) by a vote of 273 to 149. The bill cuts $19 billion in federal subsidies for private lenders and uses most of the savings to fund significant increases to Pell Grants, reaching approximately $5,200 by 2012, and reduce borrower interest rate for new subsidized Stafford loans over five years from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent. H.R.2669 also expands loan forgiveness programs for borrowers who pursue careers in public service and national need. The provision would also forgive remaining student loan debt after 10 years of responsible, on time payments.

The Senate is expected to consider their budget reconciliation bill, the Higher Education Access Act of 2007, later this month. One thing to note, President Bush has threatened to veto the bill if it makes it to his desk. According to Inside Higher Ed, a statement released by the White House late Tuesday said that if the bill was presented to the president “in its current form, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill because it fails to target aid to the neediest students currently in college and creates new mandatory federal programs and policies that are poorly designed and would have significant long-term costs to the taxpayer.” Ample support of the bill from the higher education community makes it harder for the President to veto the bill.

House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill passes committee
Last week the House Appropriations Committee passed the fiscal year 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill. The bill includes an increase of the maximum Pell Grant award to $4,700. It also includes increases to TRIO and GEAR UP. An amendment was agreed upon that would provide an increase of $25 million to career and technical education Basic State Grants. The increase will be offset by rolling back increases to Department of Education program administration funding.

The bill is scheduled to be considered by the full House this week. The Senate passed their education funding bill out of committee late June. This still needs to be voted on by the full Senate. If both bills pass the respective chambers, they head to conference committee to iron out the differences. Again, the President has promised to veto any appropriations bill that is higher than his budget request. The House and Senate fiscal year 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bills are each over 6 percent higher than President Bush’s request. 286 votes will be required in the House in order to override a Presidential veto.

DREAM Act vote expected this week

The American Association of Community Colleges reports that the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act legislation this week. The legislation removes the federal barrier to offering undocumented students in-state tuition. Senators Richard Durbin, D-Illinois, Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska and Richard Lugar, R-Indiana, will introduce the DREAM Act as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization bill. The DREAM Act was included in the immigration legislation that failed to pass the Senate last month.

The legislation would establish a six-year conditional permanent residency status, during which time eligible students would have to complete two years of higher education or military service in order to gain non-conditional status, and eventually citizenship. Federal law currently prohibits states from offering undocumented students any postsecondary education benefit based on state residency unless the state also offers that same benefit to any U.S. citizen. The DREAM Act would repeal this provision and return this decision to the states.

FY2008 Federal appropriations - special projects

The House appropriations sub-committee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education completed their appropriations bill last week. It now must pass the full appropriations committee and the House, and then will head to conference committee to be compared with the Senate bill, so there is still a long way to go. Other appropriation sub-committees continue to work on their budgets. Earmarks included for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system to-date include:

HOUSE
Energy and Water appropriations bill:
$500,000 for Minnesota State University, Mankato for Minnesota Center for Renewable Energy (with Minnesota West Community and Technical College)
Sponsor: Rep. Tim Walz, District 1 and Rep. Collin Peterson, District 7
Information Sheet: http://www.mnscu.edu/media/publications/pdf/2008-fedrequests/fed08-1frmnscuenergy.pdf

Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill:
$500,000 for Metropolitan State University for their collaborative nursing project (with Century College, Saint Paul College and Inver Hills Community College)
Sponsor: Rep. Betty McCollum, District 4
Information Sheet: http://www.mnscu.edu/media/publications/pdf/2008-fedrequests/fed08-4frmnscuworkfornurse.pdf

Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill:
$300,000 for the Veterans Education Re-entry Program
Sponsors: Rep. Tim Walz, District 1 and Rep. Collin Peterson, District 7
($1 million included in the Senate bill by Senators Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar)
Information Sheet: http://www.mnscu.edu/media/publications/pdf/2008-fedrequests/fed08-statfrmnscuvets.pdf

Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill:
$300,000 for the Bemidji State University Engineering project
Sponsor: Rep. Collin Peterson, District 7
Information Sheet: http://www.mnscu.edu/media/publications/pdf/2008-fedrequests/fed08-7frmnscubsuengine.pdf

Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill:
$200,000 for the Bemidji State University Nursing project
Sponsor: Collin Peterson, District 7
Information Sheet: http://www.mnscu.edu/media/publications/pdf/2008-fedrequests/fed08-7rfmnscubsunurse.pdf

SENATE
Commerce, Justice, State appropriations bill:
$600,000 for the Winona State University based National Child Protection Training Center
Sponsors: Senators Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar
Information Sheet: http://www.mnscu.edu/media/publications/pdf/2008-fedrequests/fed08-1frmnscuchild.pdf

Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill:
$1 million for the system’s Veterans Education Re-entry Program
Sponsors: Senators Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar
($300,000 included in the House bill by Walz and Peterson)
Information Sheet: http://www.mnscu.edu/media/publications/pdf/2008-fedrequests/fed08-statfrmnscuvets.pdf

Senate Appropriations committee funds Advanced Technological Education program

The Senate Appropriations committee passed legislation that would fund the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program at $51.62 million in fiscal year 2008. The ATE program involves partnerships between academic institutions and employers to promote improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels. The program supports among other things, curriculum development; professional development of college faculty and secondary school teachers; career pathways to two-year colleges from secondary schools and from two-year colleges to four-year institutions. The same legislation would provide a substantial increase for the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) STEM Talent Expansion Program, up nearly $15 million to $40 million.