1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to higher education; expanding the Z-Degree program; appropriating 
1.3 	money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 136F.305, subdivisions 2, 3, 
1.4 	4.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 136F.305, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
1.7 		Subd. 2.Requirement. (a) Three additional colleges must offer the opportunity to earn 
1.8 	a Z-Degree by academic year 2020-2021.
1.9 	(b) Six additional colleges must offer the opportunity to earn a Z-Degree in the 2022-2023 
1.10 	academic year.
1.11 	(c) A college's course offerings for its Z-Degree program must include at least two 
1.12 	distinct courses in each transfer curriculum goal area and at least enough credits in each 
1.13 	transfer curriculum goal area to complete the transfer curriculum package.

1.14 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 136F.305, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
1.15 		Subd. 3.Open educational resource development. (a) The Minnesota State Colleges 
1.16 	and Universities must develop a program to offer a Z-Degree at three additional colleges 
1.17 	by expanding the use of open educational resources, including custom and open textbooks. 
1.18 	The system office must provide opportunities for faculty to identify, review, adapt, author, 
1.19 	and adopt open educational resources. The system office must develop incentives to academic 
1.20 	departments to identify, review, adapt, author, or adopt open educational resources within 
1.21 	their academic programs.
2.1 	(b) The programs and incentives developed under this subdivision must be implemented 
2.2 	pursuant to faculty collective bargaining agreements.

2.3 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2020, section 136F.305, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
2.4 		Subd. 4.Report. The board must submit reports by January 13, 2021, and January 12, 
2.5 	2022, to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with 
2.6 	jurisdiction over higher education. Each report must include (1) the number of courses 
2.7 	transitioned to using an open textbook resulting from the programs in this section, and (2) 
2.8 	the total amount of student textbook savings resulting from the transitions, and (3) 
2.9 	information on the types of incentives developed and offered to faculty, and the corresponding 
2.10 	funding for those incentives.

2.11 	Sec. 4. APPROPRIATION.
 2.12 	$250,000 in fiscal year 2022 and $250,000 in fiscal year 2023 are appropriated from the 
2.13 	general fund to the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities for 
2.14 	purposes of the expansion of Z-Degree program under Minnesota Statutes, section 136F.305.