Wednesday, March 23, 2011

House higher education bill moves; Senate set to hear its bill today

Yesterday at the Capitol

The House Higher Education Policy and Finance committee met yesterday afternoon to go through the omnibus bill and take testimony. The committee returned in the evening to finish testimony and take amendments to the bill. After multiple proposed amendments, the bill passed as amended by a vote of 8-6 and was referred to the Ways and Means committee. Ways and Means is scheduled to take up the bill Thursday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. or to the call of the chair.

President Pat Johns, Lake Superior College, told committee members that his college is trying to serve more students at the same time lawmakers are proposing a tuition cap of 2 percent at the two-year colleges, which limits what the college can do to serve these students. Johns said the Board of Trustees should set tuition rates after the colleges and universities go through the consultation process at the local level.

One of the amendments adopted that affects the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system includes an amendment by Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, that says none of the direct appropriations for operation and maintenance of the system may be used for new transformational initiatives. The tuition cap for the University of Minnesota was amended to an increase of 5 percent each year of the biennium. Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia, also attempted to amend the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system's tuition cap in the bill of 2 percent for two-year colleges and 4 percent for four-year universities, to an "up to" 5 percent increase each year for both two-year and four-year institutions. The amendment did not pass. Rukavina attempted another amendment to increase tuition each year for the system to 4 percent each year. This amendment also failed.

Chair Bud Nornes, R-Fergus Falls, said higher education has not caused the state deficit, but to right-size the state, lawmakers have to balance the budget in a way that sustains itself. Nornes said he realizes it's going to be painful and wishes it didn't have to be done.

The Senate Higher Education omnibus bill will be taken up today at 3:00 p.m. with the likelihood of a long hearing into the evening hours.

Today at the Capitol

8:15 AM
House State Government Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Morrie Lanning
Agenda: Testimony on omnibus bill

10:00 AM
Senate Jobs and Economic Growth
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Geoff Michel
Agenda:
S.F. 887 (Michel): Senate Jobs and Economic Growth Committee Omnibus Budget Bill.

12:00 PM
Senate in Session

2:00 PM
House Ways and Means
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mary Liz Holberg
Agenda: TBA

2:30 PM
House Capital Investment
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Larry Howes
Agenda:
HF960 (Howes) Flood hazard mitigation grant funding provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HF607 Howes) Capital improvement funding provided to acquire and better public land and buildings and for other improvements of a capital nature, nonprofit housing bond authorization changes made, bonds issued, appropriations modified, and money appropriated.
John Finney, Chair, Red River Watershed Management Board (RRWMB)
Ron Harnack, Project Coordinator, RRWMB
Dan Money, Administrator, Two Rivers Watershed District
Rob Sando, Administrator, Roseau River Watershed District
Nick Drees, Administrator, Middle-Snake-Tamarac Watershed District
Kevin Ruud, Administrator, Wild Rice Watershed District
Jon Roeschlein, Administrator, Bois de Sioux Watershed District
Curt Johanneson, Mayor, Hendrum
Jeff Paloski, Mayor, City of Roseau
City of Crookston
Bruce Albright, Buffalo-Red WD, Oakport Township & Georgetown
Kerry Netzke, AREA II
City of Austin - Turtle Creek Watershed District
City of Newport
Bob Zimmerman, Moorhead
Kent Lokkesmoe, Cap Inv Manager, DNR

3:00 PM (Will reconvene at 5:30 to finish bill)
Senate Higher Education
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Michelle L. Fischbach
Agenda: S.F. 924-Fischbach: Higher education appropriations and office of higher education cost of attendance recognition modification.

4:30 PM
House in Session

6:00 PM
Senate Capital Investment
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. David H. Senjem
Agenda:
S.F. 664-Senjem: Flood hazard mitigation grants bond issue and appropriation.

Looking Ahead

Thursday, March 24

8:15 AM
House State Government Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Morrie Lanning
Agenda: Mark-up of omnibus

8:30 AM
Senate Finance
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Claire A. Robling
Agenda: S.F. XXXX-Magnus: Agriculture and Rural Economies Budget Bill.

11:00 AM
Senate in Session

12:00 PM
House in Session

1:00 PM (at call of the chair)
House Ways and Means
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mary Liz Holberg
Agenda: HF934 Education Omnibus Bill
HF1101 Higher Education Omnibus Bill
HF1010 Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Omnibus Bill

6:00 PM
Senate State Government Innovation and Veterans
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Mike Parry
Agenda: Discussion of the State Government Finance Omnibus bill

Friday, March 25

10:00 AM
Senate Finance
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Claire A. Robling
Agenda: TBA

10:30 AM
Senate Capital Investment
Room 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. David H. Senjem
Agenda:
S.F. 986-Senjem: Bond sale authorization cancellation and appropriation reduction; state debt refunding requirement.

Monday, March 28

15 minutes after session
Senate Finance
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Claire A. Robling
Agenda: To be announced.

Tuesday, March 29

15 minutes after session
Senate Finance
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Claire A. Robling
Agenda: To be announced.

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