Legislative Notes for the week of January 15-19, 2007

Senate Higher Education committee hears system request

The Senate Higher Education Budget and Policy Division traveled to Metropolitan State University earlier this week to hear about the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities budget request. Thank you to President Wilson Bradshaw and Metropolitan State University for hosting the committee.

The hearing started with a tour aligning the pieces of the budget request with college and university programs. Among many stops on the tour, lawmakers viewed Metropolitan State University’s nursing simulator area and learned more about how the system trains nurses. As the committee made their way to the library for a brief presentation, Senators and staff were able to view poster boards set up in the skyway highlighting programs at colleges and universities throughout the system.

Board of Trustees Chair David Paskach, Trustee Tom Renier and Chancellor James McCormick gave a brief overview of the system and spoke about the process used in preparing and approving the budget request. Committee members asked Vice Chancellors Linda Baer, Laura King and Ken Niemi about specific items in the request including technology, Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement, also known as HEAPR, and how the state’s share of higher education costs compares with the student’s share.

There was discussion about moving back toward a 67 percent to 33 percent state appropriation-to-tuition split. Students and faculty also talked to the committee about the high cost of tuition and the need for inflation dollars to keep salaries competitive with other states. As the session continues, stay tuned for further testimony on the system’s budget request with both the Senate and House Higher Education committees.

Governor delivers State of the State

Gov. Tim Pawlenty gave his fifth State of the State message this week before the House and Senate. He spoke of the need to support veterans and active military men and women and emphasized the Minnesota GI bill he plans to propose. (Read more about the veteran’s proposal). He also spoke of progress and prosperity. He talked about whether taxpayers are receiving value for the taxes they pay and mentioned that the state needs better government, better energy, better education and better health care.

One of the main themes emerging from Gov. Pawlenty's speech is the need to make schools better. For K-12 schools, he talked about a 4 percent funding increase per year, of which 2 percent is based on pay for performance. What he called "3 R" schools, standing for rigor, relevance and results, could receive pay-for-performance funding by meeting certain criteria. Specifically, he said 3R schools will be required to implement rigorous and relevant courses for all students, including career and technical courses in high-demand fields; provide access for all students to programs that provide college credit opportunities; require all students to complete a full year of college while in high school; and provide opportunities for students to pursue work-based learning and internships.

Pawlenty also mentioned that his budget will provide funding for schools to provide Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate program funding for all students at all grade levels. He would like to see more schools focus on STEM areas, standing for science, technology, engineering and math; adopt more rigorous math standards for all students; require a graduation plan for eighth-graders and above that parents will need to sign each year; and require all students to complete four years of a second language in order to graduate.

The governor also indicated his ACHIEVE tuition proposal, which was announced earlier, has undergone some changes and now is being referred to as ACHIEVE II. Included in the proposal are scholarship funds for students to attend a college or university if they take rigorous courses in high school or a year of college in high school.

He also proposed $50 million in performance bonuses for higher education institutions that meet strategic goals.

Stay tuned for the governor’s budget recommendation on Monday for more details about these proposals.

View summary of the State of the State speech

Wind energy discussion moving forward

With the growing trend in renewable energy sources and the strong campus interest in utilizing wind energy, government relations is following the wind energy discussion at the Capitol. The 2005 Legislature asked for a wind integration study to show the costs associated with increasing wind capacity to 20 percent of Minnesota’s electric energy sales by 2020. Preliminary results reported at the hearing of the House Energy Finance and Policy Division this week included where it would make the most sense to put up wind turbines in Minnesota. The highest concentration would be in the southwest corner of the state. In one test study, if 20 percent of electrical energy was provided by wind, consumers could see a yearly increase in their energy bills of $3 to $13. More information will be provided in an upcoming hearing.

New veterans Web page now available

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities has a history of providing education and training to veterans and those on active duty who are seeking to gain new skills, enhance existing skills and translate skills learned in the military for use in the civilian world. The system’s Web site has a new page dedicated to helping folks find information regarding Veterans services, such as education-related benefits and services available, credit transfer information and multiple resources.

Visit veterans Web page

Friends Action Network launched

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Friends Action Network, or FAN, was launched this year to help faculty, students, staff, alumni and community members communicate the value of Minnesota's 32 state colleges and universities to lawmakers. FAN is encouraging concerned citizens to contact their legislators and ask them to support funding to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities in this legislative session. For more information, visit the FAN Web site at www.fan.mnscu.edu.

Federal Update

House passes student loan bill

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill (HR 5) with a vote of 356-71 this week that would cut the interest rate on federally subsidized student loans in half over a five-year period. This is the bill that Democrats promised to take up during the first 100 hours of the 110th Congress. The bill now heads to the Senate, where Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., chair of the education committee, has indicated he plans to include the interest-rate cut into a broader legislative package he will introduce in February. If the interest rate cut passes both bodies, President Bush still could veto it. The president issued a statement this week saying he opposes the bill. It would take a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override a presidential veto.

Correlation between state appropriation and tuition across the nation

The American Association of State Colleges and Universities has analyzed the correlation between state funding increases and decreases and changes in tuition levels.

View analysis