written by | Ben Ellgen

Recap of Week 01/27 - 02/02

As students across the MinnState system get settled into the spring semester, the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate does the same. Proposed legislation on wide-ranging issues such as agriculture, public safety, and K-12 education have begun to trickle into various committees for review. Numerous bills regarding higher education policy have been introduced:

HF 105 – Prohibiting resident tuition rates for those without legal authorization to work in the U.S.
SF 130 – Requiring affordable textbooks in 15% of courses.
HF 217/SF187 – Affirmative consent standards, sexual violence grant program.
SF 306 – Debt counseling grant program.
SF 343 – Requiring notice of legal advocacy services to sexual assault victims
SF 378 – State grant program eligibility.
SF 509 – Pell grant eligibility
HF 434 – Financial aid to teacher candidates of color.

The status of these bills will be closely monitored. Stay tuned for updates as well as additional details about these proposed higher education policies!

Beyond following bills online, students will have the opportunity to take their advocacy to the next level. Members of Students United will be meeting with their elected representatives regarding our State Legislative Agenda on February 25th as part of this year’s Advocacy Conference. Students from all seven MinnState universities will sit down with members of the Legislature and share their perspectives on the issues that students across the state face every day.