Thursday, March 11, 2010

Higher education bills on the move

Yesterday at the Capitol

The Senate Finance Committee heard testimony on higher education financing yesterday morning. Higher Education Chair Sandy Pappas, DFL- St. Paul, said that the language regarding tuition reciprocity had been fixed. The additional funding from the fix will reduce cuts to the state grant, the American Indian Scholarship and work study. All programs are administered by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. The committee rolled the higher education legislation into a larger finance bill and referred it to the Senate Tax Committee, where it will be heard Monday morning.

In the House, the Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division met yesterday evening to process higher education bills. Included in the bills heard in committee was HF 3565, a textbook bill sponsored by Rep. Sarah Anderson, R-Plymouth, that would allow students to see textbook prices up front before registering for a course. Rep. Anderson said the bill was introduced to make sure the information is passed on to students according to federal law, which already requires this.

Also on the agenda was HF 1252, also being carried by Rep. Sarah Anderson. This bill would allow for no increase in any student activity fee unless approved by a majority of students voting in a campus election. Rep. Anderson said she sees fees as a "back door" for raising revenue for the college or university. Students representing the University of Minnesota and the two-year colleges and four-year universities testified in opposition to the bill. Jennifer Weil, state chair of the Minnesota State University Student Association told committee members that while they appreciate the intentions of the bill, they do have concerns. Weil said that not all students understand the full context of decisions made when funding student organizations. The motion to send the bill to the floor did not prevail by a vote of 6-10.

The committee is expected to meet today at 1:00 p.m. to roll out the higher education and workforce development budget bill. After a walk-through of the bill, the committee is expected to recess to review it, and then reconvene later in the day to amend the bill and pass it. The Senate Finance committee is expected to take up the supplemental budget bill tomorrow.

Today at the Capitol

8:30 AM
House K-12 Education Policy and Oversight
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Carlos Mariani
Agenda: HF3163 (Mariani) Prekindergarten through grade 12 funding provided, including general education, education excellence, special programs, and early childhood education.

8:30 AM
Senate E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. LeRoy A. Stumpf
Agenda:
S.F. 3028-Stumpf: Pre-kindergarten through grade 12 education appropriations and appropriation reductions.
S.F. 2980-Bakk: State and local government financing provisions modification; school districts current year aid payment percentage reductions; sales tax rate reduction and rate of adjustment proportion calculation requirement; commissioner of revenue rate adjustment.
S.F. 3045-Wiger: Prekindergarten through grade 12 education policy provisions modifications; general education, education excellence, special programs and early childhood education.

10:30 AM
House in Session

11:00 AM
Senate in Session

1:00 PM
House Higher Education and Workforce Development Policy and Finance Division
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Tom Rukavina
Agenda:
Higher Education/Workforce Development Budget bill. The committee will walk through the bill, recess to review it, and reconvene to amend and pass it.

2:45 PM
House K-12 Education Finance Division
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mindy Greiling
Agenda:
HF2426 (Morrow) Postsecondary enrollment options program modified.
HF3329 (Greiling) Retired employee health benefits levy calculation clarified.
HF3330 (Greiling) Revenue definitions clarified for school districts and charter schools.
HF3331 (Greiling) Obsolete language removed.
TRA pension proposal

2:45 PM
House State Government Finance Division
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Phyllis Kahn
Agenda: HF3449 (Kahn) State government programs or activities money appropriated or reduced, and provisions changed relating to expenses of governor-elect, income earned by the permanent school fund, lease-purchase agreements, general services, resource recovery, payment of aids and credits to school districts, tax return preparers, and implied consent.

3:00 PM
Senate Judiciary
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Mee Moua
Agenda:
S.F. 3074-Pappas: Higher education student data regulation.
S.F. 2832-Saltzman: Construction codes residential written contact performance guidelines requirements; housing statutory warranties modifications and dispute resolution procedures.
S.F. 2592-Sieben: Automobile insurance contracts to motor vehicle owning minors authorization.
S.F. 1590-Sieben: Inflatable amusement equipment safety standards establishment.
S.F. 2891-Moua: Interstate Compact for Juveniles adoption.
S.F. 560-Latz: Expungement law provisions expansion and modifications.
S.F. 2755-Latz: Detention placement options clarification for extended jurisdiction juveniles.
S.F. 2789-Moua: Juvenile records public access modification; release of peace officer record with informed consent limitation.
S.F. 2787-Moua: Collateral sanctions notice to juvenile prior to guilty plea acceptance.
S.F. 2804-Moua: Juvenile offenders chemical use screen requirement.
S.F. 2788-Moua: Continuance period duration in juvenile delinquency procedures extension.
S.F. 2790-Moua: Juvenile records public hearings and access provisions modifications.

Looking Ahead

Friday, March 12


10:00 AM
Senate State and Local Government Operations and Oversight
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Ann H. Rest
Agenda:
S.F. 2594-Kubly: City or county owned hospital employees salary reporting requirements exemption.
S.F. 2641-Kubly: Coyote (Canis latrans) conflict management option for counties and towns authorization.
S.F. 2953-Olson, G.: City council members employment by city prohibition.
S.F. 2199-Olson, G.: Legislature size reduction and senate district division prevention.
S.F. 2585-Higgins: Disadvantaged business enterprise program creation.
S.F. 3073-Sheran: People with disabilities state programs and services effectiveness report request from the consortium for citizens with disabilities.
S.F. 2586-Murphy: Constitutional amendment for temporary successors to members of the legislature called into active military service.
S.F. 2741-Murphy: Driving while impaired (DWI), implied consent and ignition interlock provisions modifications.
S.F. 2738-Torres Ray: Special school district #1, Minneapolis to appoint members to the redistricting commission; redistricting commission to set standards for boundaries of the school board districts.
S.F. 3075-Tomassoni: Joint powers agreements interference with the rights of employees covered by collective bargaining contracts prohibition.
S.F. 2908-Doll: State-county results, accountability and service delivery reform act modifications.
S.F. 2756-Kelash: Overdimensional load escort drivers traffic control authority and commissioner of public safety to escort driver training and certification program establishment.
S.F. 3115-Dibble: Minneapolis mobile food units duration of operation restriction authority.
S.F. 3014-Saltzman: Minnesota Science and Technology Authority Act.
S.F. 3041-Gerlach: Constitutional amendment to authorize the membership of the state canvassing board to be provided by law.
S.F. 160-Pappas: Election candidates and campaign workers multiple unit residences access authority.
S.F. 2957-Rest: Hennepin county board of commissioners energy purchase under forward pricing mechanisms authorization.
S.F. 2573-Betzold: Retirement provisions modifications.
S.F. 3084-Carlson: Professional or technical services contract reporting threshold reduction.
S.F. 3096-Robling: State owned buildings disposal process.
S.F. 2762-Olseen: State contracts with vendors convicted of fraud prohibition.

1:00 PM
House Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Lyndon Carlson
Agenda:
HF802 (Murphy) Hospital root cause analysis requirements clarified, Minnesota Board of Nursing investigations clarified, and hospital payment for certain hospital-acquired conditions and treatments prohibited.
HF1671 (Carlson)Labor or employee organizations provisions modified.
HF2591 (Lieder) Local bridge funding provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HF3015 (Murphy) Film production cost reimbursement provided.
HF3438 (Juhnke) Veteran home appropriation designation removed.
HF1354 (Clark) Nonprofit housing bonds authorized, and money appropriated.
HF1741 (Hilty) Energy-efficient furnace and light bulb funding provided, and money appropriated.
HF2314 (Wagenius) Natural resources, Water and Soil Resources, and Pollution Control Agency funding provided to post budgets on Web sites.
HF1270 (Paymar) Short-term offender pilot project development required, county of community corrections departments authorized to develop pilot-project for short-term offender commitments, and reports provided.
HF3449 (Kahn) State government programs or activities money appropriated or reduced, and provisions changed relating to expenses of governor-elect, income earned by the permanent school fund, lease-purchase agreements, general services, resource recovery, payment of aids and credits to school districts, tax return preparers, and implied consent.
HF1835 (Haws) State grant program's living and miscellaneous expense allowance set.
HF3492 (Hausman)

**HF1671 (Carlson) will be the supplemental budget bill. The following bills will be incorporated into HF1671:
HF2591
HF3015
HF1354
HF1741
HF2314
HF1270
HF3438
HF3449
and HF1835

1:00 PM
House K-12 Education Policy and Oversight
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Carlos Mariani
Agenda: HF3421 (Mariani) High school assessments established to determine college and career readiness.


Monday, March 15


9:00 AM
Senate Taxes
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Tom Bakk
Agenda: 2010 Supplemental Budget.

Tuesday, March 16

2:45 PM
House Capital Investment Finance Division
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Alice Hausman
Agenda: Discussion on bonding policy issues

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