HF 2594

as introduced - 90th Legislature (2017 - 2018) Posted on 04/18/2017 01:36pm

A bill for an act
relating to higher education; appropriating money for a tuition freeze at Minnesota
State Colleges and Universities and the University of Minnesota; increasing state
grant awards; amending Minnesota Statutes 2016, sections 136A.101, subdivision
5a; 136A.121, subdivisions 5, 6.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 136A.101, subdivision 5a, is amended to read:

Subd. 5a.

Assigned family responsibility.

"Assigned family responsibility" means the
amount of a family's contribution to a student's cost of attendance, as determined by a federal
need analysis. new text begin The assigned family responsibility is the appropriate amount in the following
clauses, minus $500:
new text end

new text begin (1) new text end for dependent students, the assigned family responsibility is 94 percent of the parental
contribution deleted text begin . deleted text end new text begin ;
new text end

new text begin (2) new text end for independent students with dependents other than a spouse, the assigned family
responsibility is 86 percent of the student contribution deleted text begin . deleted text end new text begin ; and
new text end

new text begin (3) new text end for independent students without dependents other than a spouse, the assigned family
responsibility is 50 percent of the student contribution.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 136A.121, subdivision 5, is amended to read:

Subd. 5.

Grant stipends.

The grant stipend shall be based on a sharing of responsibility
for covering the recognized cost of attendance by the applicant, the applicant's family, and
the government. The amount of a financial stipend must not exceed a grant applicant's
recognized cost of attendance, as defined in subdivision 6, after deducting the following:

(1) the assigned student responsibility of at least 50 percent of the cost of attending the
institution of the applicant's choosing;

(2) the assigned family responsibility as defined in section 136A.101; and

(3) the amount of a federal Pell grant award for which the grant applicant is eligible new text begin ,
unless the student is ineligible to receive a Pell grant under United States Code, title 20,
section 1091(a)(5) or (d) new text end .

The minimum financial stipend is $100 per academic year.

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 136A.121, subdivision 6, is amended to read:

Subd. 6.

Cost of attendance.

(a) The recognized cost of attendance consists of: (1) an
allowance specified in law for living and miscellaneous expenses, and (2) an allowance for
tuition and fees equal to the lesser of the average tuition and fees charged by the institution,
or a tuition and fee maximum if one is established in law. If no living and miscellaneous
expense allowance is established in law, the allowance is equal to new text begin 106 percent of new text end the federal
poverty guidelines for a one person household in Minnesota for nine months. If no tuition
and fee maximum is established in law, the allowance for tuition and fees is equal to the
lesser of: (1) the average tuition and fees charged by the institution, and (2) for two-year
programs, an amount equal to the highest tuition and fees charged at a public two-year
institution, or for four-year programs, an amount equal to the highest tuition and fees charged
at a public university.

(b) For a student registering for less than full time, the office shall prorate the cost of
attendance to the actual number of credits for which the student is enrolled.

(c) The recognized cost of attendance for a student who is confined to a Minnesota
correctional institution shall consist of the tuition and fee component in paragraph (a), with
no allowance for living and miscellaneous expenses.

(d) For the purpose of this subdivision, "fees" include only those fees that are mandatory
and charged to full-time resident students attending the institution. Fees do not include
charges for tools, equipment, computers, or other similar materials where the student retains
ownership. Fees include charges for these materials if the institution retains ownership. Fees
do not include optional or punitive fees.

Sec. 4. new text begin APPROPRIATION; STATE GRANT PROGRAM.
new text end

new text begin $31,000,000 in fiscal year 2018 and $31,000,000 in fiscal year 2019 are appropriated
from the general fund to the commissioner of higher education to increase state grants under
Minnesota Statutes, section 136A.121.
new text end

Sec. 5. new text begin APPROPRIATION; TUITION FREEZE AT MINNESOTA STATE
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.
new text end

new text begin (a) $47,600,000 in fiscal year 2018 and $95,400,000 in fiscal year 2019 are appropriated
from the general fund to the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and
Universities for student tuition relief. This is an ongoing appropriation.
new text end

new text begin (b) Undergraduate tuition rates at colleges and universities for the 2017-2018 academic
year and the 2018-2019 academic year must not exceed the 2016-2017 academic year rates.
new text end

Sec. 6. new text begin APPROPRIATION; TUITION FREEZE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
MINNESOTA.
new text end

new text begin (a) $31,100,00 in fiscal year 2018 and $59,100,000 in fiscal year 2019 are appropriated
from the general fund to the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota for student
tuition relief. This is an ongoing appropriation.
new text end

new text begin (b) The board is requested to set resident tuition rates for the 2017-2018 academic year
and the 2018-2019 academic year at all campuses and for all undergraduate programs at
the 2016-2017 academic year rates.
new text end