as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 04/01/2016 02:50pm
A bill for an act
relating to higher education; making various technical and policy changes to
higher education-related provisions; amending Minnesota Statutes 2014, section
136A.01, by adding a subdivision; Minnesota Statutes 2015 Supplement, section
136A.1791, subdivisions 4, 5, 6; Laws 2015, chapter 69, article 3, section 20,
subdivision 15; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter
136A.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 136A.01, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:
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(a) The commissioner may retain up to five
percent of the amount appropriated to the office for a program or pass-through grant if:
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(1) the program or grant is first established on or after January 1, 2016; and
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(2) the appropriation does not specify an amount for administrative costs.
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(b) The amount retained under paragraph (a) is appropriated to the commissioner and
must be used for the costs of administering and monitoring programs and pass-through
grants established on or after January 1, 2016.
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The commissioner may accept donations, grants, bequests, and other funds to carry
out the purposes of section 136A.01. A donation, nonfederal grant, bequest, or other
fund received by the commissioner is deposited in a special revenue account and is
hereby appropriated to the commissioner for the purpose for which it is granted and is
available until expended.
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Minnesota Statutes 2015 Supplement, section 136A.1791, subdivision 4,
is amended to read:
Each applicant for loan forgiveness,
according to rules adopted by the commissioner, shall:
(1) apply for teacher shortage loan forgiveness and promptly submit any additional
information required by the commissioner;new text begin and
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(2) annually reapply for up to five consecutive school years and submit information
the commissioner requires to determine the applicant's continued eligibility for loan
forgiveness; and
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deleted text begin (3)deleted text end new text begin (2)new text end submit to the commissioner a completed affidavit, prescribed by the
commissioner, affirming the teacher is teaching innew text begin : (i)new text end a licensure field deleted text begin and indeleted text end new text begin identified by
the commissioner as experiencing a teacher shortage; or (ii)new text end an economic development
region identified by the commissioner as experiencing a teacher shortage.
Minnesota Statutes 2015 Supplement, section 136A.1791, subdivision 5,
is amended to read:
(a) To the extent funding is available, the
annual amount of teacher shortage loan forgiveness for an approved applicant shall not
exceed $1,000 or the cumulative balance of the applicant's qualified educational loans,
including principal and interest, whichever amount is less.
(b) Recipients must secure their own qualified educational loans. Teachers who
graduate from an approved teacher preparation program or teachers who add a licensure
field, consistent with the teacher shortage requirements of this section, are eligible to
apply for the loan forgiveness program.
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(c) No teacher shall receive more than five annual awards.
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Minnesota Statutes 2015 Supplement, section 136A.1791, subdivision 6,
is amended to read:
(a) The commissioner must make annual disbursements
directly to the participant of the amount for which a participant is eligible, for each year
that a participant is eligible.
(b) Within 60 days of deleted text begin receipt of adeleted text end new text begin the new text end disbursementnew text begin datenew text end , the participant must provide
the commissioner with verification that the full amount of loan repayment disbursement
has been applied toward the designated loans. A participant that previously received
funds under this section but has not provided the commissioner with such verification
is not eligible to receive additional funds.
Laws 2015, chapter 69, article 3, section 20, subdivision 15, is amended to read:
(a) A college must report to the commissioner the following
information:
(1) the number of grantees and their race, gender, and ethnicity;
(2) grantee persistence and completion;
(3) employment outcomes; and
(4) other information requested by the commissioner.
(b) The commissioner shall report deleted text begin annuallydeleted text end by January 15, new text begin 2017, and January 15,
2018, new text end to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with
jurisdiction over higher education finance by college and in aggregate on the information
submitted to the commissioner under paragraph (a). The commissioner may include in the
report recommendations for changes in the grant program.