While many of you are cramming for your finals, the legislature is working hard to cram in the remaining work before the end of session. Only twelve days left!

House and Senate Higher Education Omnibus Bills Testimony

Frankie Becerra testifying

On April 8 and April 9, LeadMN President Frankie Becerra testified in front of the House and Senate Higher Education Finance and Policy committees, encouraging legislators to continue to put students first and ensure that college remains affordable for our students.

House and Senate Pass Omnibus Bills

On April 24 the Senate passed their version of the higher education omnibus bill, and on April 30 the House of Representatives passed their own version of the higher education bill. Included in the House omnibus bill is the Hunger Free Campus Act, which students introduced earlier this session to help address food insecurity among college students.

Send a letter to you legislators in support of the Hunger Free Campus Act.

Because significant differences exist between the two omnibus bills, a conference committee was convened and members were appointed. A side by side comparison of the two bills can be found here along with other information about the conference committee.

Higher Education Conference Committee Testimony

On May 8, the Higher Education Conference Committee met for the first time to go over the different budget appropriations contained in the House and Senate omnibus bills, and to take public testimony. LeadMN President Becerra testified in front of the committee about the unaffordable cost of college that many of our students face, and requested that the committee include a tuition freeze in the final omnibus bill, along with an investment in our campuses that would maintain programming and student services.

President Becerra also shared a letter [view below] with conference committee members outlining LeadMN’s support for Hunger Free Campuses, z-degrees, open educational resources, and a variety of other issues contained in the House and Senate omnibus bills.