1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to higher education; establishing a Student Basic Needs Advisory Council; 
1.3 	requiring a report;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 
1.4 	136A.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. [136A.033] STUDENT BASIC NEEDS ADVISORY COUNCIL.
1.7 		Subdivision 1.Definition. For purposes of this section, "advisory council" means the 
1.8 	Student Basic Needs Advisory Council established in this section.
1.9 		Subd. 2.Membership. The advisory council consists of 12 members. Eight of the 
1.10 	members must not be students. Those eight members are appointed by the commissioner 
1.11 	and must include, to the extent practicable, representatives from Minnesota State Colleges 
1.12 	and Universities, the University of Minnesota, nonprofit private colleges, Tribal colleges 
1.13 	and universities, faculty and staff bargaining units, state agencies, and other interested parties 
1.14 	as determined by the commissioner. Four of the members must be students and must include 
1.15 	a representative from each of the following, to be designated by the relevant organization: 
1.16 	the University of Minnesota student senate, the Minnesota State University Student 
1.17 	Association, the Minnesota State College Student Association, and the Minnesota Association 
1.18 	of Private College Students.
1.19 		Subd. 3.Duties and powers. The advisory council must:
1.20 	(1) advise the commissioner on the design and implementation of the biennial basic 
1.21 	needs assessment required by section 136A.034;
2.1 	(2) advise the commissioner regarding the implementation of recommendations in the 
2.2 	report to the legislature required by Laws 2023, chapter 41, article 1, section 33, subdivision 
2.3 	3;
2.4 	(3) by January 15 of each odd-numbered year, provide the commissioner with a proposed 
2.5 	work plan to identify, assess, and support students who are experiencing housing and food 
2.6 	insecurity during the following two years;
2.7 	(4) identify best practices for addressing housing and food insecurity among 
2.8 	postsecondary students in Minnesota;
2.9 	(5) monitor federal and state policy changes that impact housing and food insecurity 
2.10 	among postsecondary students in Minnesota;
2.11 	(6) propose legislative changes related to higher education that affect students' basic 
2.12 	needs;
2.13 	(7) propose policy changes to the commissioner to improve student access to basic needs 
2.14 	resources; and
2.15 	(8) perform other tasks of an advisory nature as requested by the commissioner.
2.16 		Subd. 4.Officers; meetings. The advisory council must annually appoint a chair and 
2.17 	vice-chair from among the advisory council's members, and may appoint other officers as 
2.18 	necessary. The council must meet at least quarterly upon the call of the chair.
2.19 		Subd. 5.Terms; compensation; removal; vacancies; expiration. Compensation, 
2.20 	removal of members, and filling of vacancies of members must be as provided in section 
2.21 	15.059, except that council members who are not students must not receive a per diem. 
2.22 	Members must serve terms of two years, except student members must serve terms of one 
2.23 	year and one-half of the members of the first advisory council who are not students will 
2.24 	serve one-year terms. The advisory council is not subject to the expiration date provisions 
2.25 	of section 15.059.
2.26 		Subd. 6.Expiration of the advisory council. The advisory council expires on June 30, 
2.27 	2033.
2.28 		Subd. 7.Reporting requirements. (a) By December 31 of each even-numbered year, 
2.29 	the commissioner must submit a report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the 
2.30 	legislative committees having jurisdiction over higher education policy.
2.31 	(b) The report must include:
3.1 	(1) the results of the most recent biennial basic needs assessment required by section 
3.2 	136A.034, including a summary of trends and challenges identified in the assessment;
3.3 	(2) outcomes related to the biennial work plan;
3.4 	(3) recommended policy changes to improve student basic needs security; and
3.5 	(4) proposed legislative actions or funding requests to address identified gaps in student 
3.6 	support services.
3.7 		Subd. 8.Support and funding. The commissioner may seek and accept private and 
3.8 	federal funds to support the advisory council's activities, including conducting research, 
3.9 	implementing best practices, and administering the biennial assessments.

3.10 	Sec. 2. [136A.034] BIENNIAL STUDENT BASIC NEEDS ASSESSMENT.
3.11 	(a) Each even-numbered year, the commissioner must oversee and facilitate a biennial 
3.12 	basic needs assessment for students at all postsecondary institutions in Minnesota to identify 
3.13 	key areas of food insecurity and housing insecurity. The commissioner may request that 
3.14 	the Student Basic Needs Advisory Council or a subset of the council's members assist with 
3.15 	the design or implementation of the assessment.
3.16 	(b) The assessment must:
3.17 	(1) be tailored to the specific populations surveyed;
3.18 	(2) assess student access to sufficient and quality food;
3.19 	(3) assess student access to safe and reliable housing, including frequency of moves and 
3.20 	housing affordability; and
3.21 	(4) assess instances of student homelessness.
3.22 	(c) The assessment must incorporate questions adapted from the following sources:
3.23 	(1) the six-question USDA Household Food Security Survey Module;
3.24 	(2) the Adult Well-Being Module of the Survey of Income and Program Participation 
3.25 	administered by the United States Census Bureau; and
3.26 	(3) Crutchfield, R. M. and Maguire, J., Researching Basic Needs in Higher Education: 
3.27 	Qualitative and Quantitative Instruments to Explore a Holistic Understanding of Food and 
3.28 	Housing Security, California State University Office of the Chancellor (2017).
4.1 	(d) Notwithstanding paragraphs (b) and (c), the Student Basic Needs Advisory Council 
4.2 	may suggest, and the commissioner may adopt, additional or different methods and sources 
4.3 	that align with best practices.

4.4 	Sec. 3. STUDENT BASIC NEEDS ADVISORY COUNCIL.
 4.5 	(a) By December 31, 2025, the commissioner must appoint and the student organizations 
4.6 	must designate members of the Student Basic Needs Advisory Council pursuant to Minnesota 
4.7 	Statutes, section 136A.033, who must serve terms according to Minnesota Statutes, section 
4.8 	136A.033, subdivision 5.
4.9 	(b) The commissioner must convene the first meeting of the Student Basic Needs 
4.10 	Advisory Council by January 31, 2026.