2025 State Legislative Agenda

This legislative session we are focusing our advocacy efforts on supporting the full Minnesota State system budget request, specifically as it relates to student supports and access and affordability. 

We’ll also be focusing efforts on improvements to the Hunger Free Campus program. Over 40% of Minnesota’s two-year college students reported experiencing food insecurity, while only 11 of the 26 colleges have been able to obtain a Hunger Free Campus designation. 

Find our talking points here

Find facts about Minnesota College Attainment here. 

2025 Federal Legislative Agenda

The Department of Education is under threat from the current administration with deep cuts to staffing already implemented. The uncertainty around the department’s future and its ability to function with limited staffing will have impacts on FAFSA, programs like the Pell Grant and TRIO. 

Our priority is to keep these programs and departments funded and operational, while advocating for crucial funding that helps eliminate barriers to education and make college more affordable and attainable for students. 

Take Action Today – Contact your federal legislators!

The Federal House Committee on Education and the Workforce markup on their reconciliation bill is happening now. If passed this bill could limit current and prospective students’ access to higher education. 

The bill proposes to address the Pell Grant funding shortfall by eliminating subsidized student loans, which simply shifts the burden to students and will significantly increase debt for students, which many already have a hard time paying off. 

This bill also looks to limit the accessibility of the Pell Grant with a proposed 15-credit per semester requirement for full eligibility, eliminating access to students who attend less than full-time. This penalizes students who are balancing work, family responsibilities and more. For so many students in Community and Technical Colleges, flexibility is the point. Being able to attend college part-time or at a slower pace is necessary and beneficial to students academic goals. 

Today’s students are working adults, parents and caretakers, and they rely on a postsecondary education for upward mobility.

Help us advocate for student-centered solutions that expand opportunity without compromising quality, accountability, or affordability. Call your federal representatives today and share your story!

Find talking points, ways to contact and more here.  Together we can fight for attainable higher education for all students. 

Take Action! Tell Congress today’s students need financial aid more than billionaires need tax cuts!

This month the House of Representatives is working to slash $330 billion in education programs primarily to fund tax cuts for billionaires. This proposed budget reconciliation package means fewer students will have access to the Pell grant, subsidized student loans will be eliminated, and there will be increases in the cost of income driven repayment plans.

The cuts are a dangerous move, threatening access to education for students and their families while weakening the future U.S. labor force.  Huge cuts to Medicaid and other program eliminations in the budget also put low-income students who rely on the support at risk of stopping out of school before they earn a credential.

Voices are the most powerful tool we have to create change. Now is the time for you to tell your representatives to do just that, represent you, the constituent, and other students in their districts by saying “NO” to these cuts. Deliver your voice directly to lawmakers. Share this letter campus- and community-wide, Together, we can flood their inboxes.