as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 02/27/2023 03:06pm
Engrossments | ||
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Introduction | Posted on 02/27/2023 |
A bill for an act
relating to higher education; modifying parameters in the state grant program;
modifying restrictions on developmental education in state colleges and universities;
creating new grant programs within the Office of Higher Education; requiring
reports; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2022, sections
136A.121, subdivisions 5, 6, 9; 136F.302, subdivisions 1, 2.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 136A.121, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
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 deleted text begin 50deleted text end new text begin 46new text end 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.
The minimum financial stipend is $100 per academic year.
Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 136A.121, subdivision 6, is amended to read:
(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 deleted text begin 109deleted text end new text begin 115new text end percent of 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.
Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 136A.121, subdivision 9, is amended to read:
An undergraduate student who meets the office's requirements is
eligible to apply for and receive a grant in any year of undergraduate study unless the student
has obtained a baccalaureate degree or previously has been enrolled full time or the equivalent
for deleted text begin eightdeleted text end new text begin tennew text end semesters or the equivalent, excluding (1) courses taken from a Minnesota
school or postsecondary institution which is not participating in the state grant program and
from which a student transferred no credit, and (2) courses taken that qualify as
developmental education or below college-level. A student enrolled in a two-year program
at a four-year institution is only eligible for the tuition and fee maximums established by
law for two-year institutions.
Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 136F.302, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
(a) A state college or university must
not require an individual to take a deleted text begin remedialdeleted text end new text begin developmentalnew text end , noncredit course in a subject
area if the individual has received a college ready ACT or SAT score or met a career and
college ready Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment benchmark in that subject area. Only
the ACT and SAT scores an individual received and the Minnesota Comprehensive
Assessment benchmarks an individual met in the previous five years are valid for purposes
of this section. Each state college and university must post notice of the exemption from
deleted text begin remedialdeleted text end new text begin developmentalnew text end course taking on its website explaining student course placement
requirements.new text begin Prior to enrolling an individual in a developmental course, a college or
university must (1) determine if the individual's performance on the ACT, SAT, or Minnesota
Comprehensive Assessments exempts the individual from the developmental course under
this paragraph, and (2) inform the individual if a developmental course is required.
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(b) When deciding if an individual is admitted to or if an individual may enroll in a state
college or university, the state college or university must consider the individual's scores
on the high school Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, in addition to other factors
determined relevant by the college or university.
Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 136F.302, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
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(a) A college or university must not place an individual in a developmental,
noncredit course based solely on a testing process. A state college or university may use
multiple measures to make a holistic determination on whether to place an individual in a
developmental course. Multiple measures may include:
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(1) testing under paragraph (b);
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(2) the individual's scores on the high school Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments,
the ACT, or the SAT;
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(3) high school grade point average;
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(4) teacher recommendations; and
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(5) other factors determined relevant by the college or university.
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new text begin (b) new text end A college or university testing process used to determine whether an individual is
placed in a deleted text begin remedialdeleted text end new text begin developmentalnew text end , noncredit course must comply with this subdivision.
Prior to taking a test, an individual must be given reasonable time and opportunity to review
materials provided by the college or university covering the material to be tested which
must include a sample test. An individual who is required to take a deleted text begin remedialdeleted text end new text begin developmentalnew text end ,
noncredit course as a result of a test given by a college or university must be given an
opportunity to retake the test at the earliest time determined by the individual when testing
is otherwise offered. The college or university must provide an individual with study materials
for the purpose of retaking and passing the test.
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(a) The commissioner of the Office of Higher Education must conduct a study of the
work-study program under Minnesota Statutes, sections 136A.231 to 136A.233. The study
must analyze how the program could be expanded to meet the needs of college students and
enable more students to work on campus. The study should include an assessment of:
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(1) the interplay between state, federal, and institutional work-study programs and funds;
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(2) the impact of minimum wage laws and ordinances on the program;
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(3) the ability of the program to require a wage for student workers that is higher than
the prevailing minimum wage set by law;
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(4) the number of hours students should be working on campus; and
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(5) options for legislative and administrative actions to expand the work-study program
along with the anticipated costs of those actions.
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(b) By January 15, 2024, the commissioner shall report to the legislature as provided in
Minnesota Statutes, section 3.195, and to the chairs and ranking minority members of the
legislative committees with jurisdiction over higher education on the results of the study.
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(a) $....... in fiscal year 2024 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of the Office of Higher Education for grants to Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
system campuses to pursue innovations in student transfer aimed at shortening the time to
degree completion and minimizing excess credits. Innovations eligible under this grant
include but are not limited to counselor-navigator hubs in which three or more navigators
work with one counselor to assist students transferring. Priority shall be given to proposals
that partner two-year colleges and four-year universities. The commissioner may use no
more than five percent of the amount appropriated under this subdivision to administer the
program.
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(b) By January 1, 2025, the commissioner shall report to the legislature as provided in
Minnesota Statutes, section 3.195, and to the chairs and ranking minority members of the
legislative committees with jurisdiction over higher education on the results of the grant
program. The report must include information about funded projects and their outcomes.
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The revisor of statutes shall substitute the term "developmental" for "remedial" wherever
the term refers to remedial education courses at a postsecondary institution. The revisor
shall also make grammatical changes related to the changes in terms to preserve the meaning
of the text.
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