Robling Pleased With Increased Funding for Higher Education
By Claire Robling
May 21, 2005
St. Paul – Expressing enthusiasm for a nearly nine percent increase in higher education funding that should help control climbing tuition costs, State Senator Claire Robling (R-Jordan) last week applauded the Legislature’s passage of the 2005 Higher Education Omnibus Finance Bill.
“As a member of the Higher Education Budget Division and the Higher Education Conference Committee, I was very involved in crafting this bill, and I’m very pleased with the outcome,” said Robling. “I was also very pleased to work with a group of conference committee members who understood the importance of compromise. While none of us ended up getting exactly what we wanted, the political process requires give and take, and our conference committee should be looked at as a model by the other conference committees that are still struggling to reconcile their differences.”
The Higher Education bill was the first major policy and spending bill to be finalized this session. The , passed Friday by the House and Senate with bipartisan support, sets spending levels for Minnesota’s higher education institutions at $2.76 billion for the next two years –providing a significant funding increase.
“Our colleges and universities have faced significant budget challenges in recent years, and I was excited to give them a much-needed funding increase in this year’s funding initiative,” said Robling.
In total, the omnibus bill allocates $105.6 million in new revenue to the University of Minnesota and provides an additional $107.5 million to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System (MnSCU) over the biennium.
In recent years, Minnesota students have seen double-digit increases in their higher education tuition costs. Although the individual public systems control the amount of their tuition hikes – rather than the legislature -- the significant funding in this bill is expected to keep tuition increases in the 5 to 7 percent range.
“With the public systems facing tighter budgets the past few years, students have often had to bear the burden with higher tuition costs,” Robling continued. “By providing a substantial funding boost, this bill should go a long way towards helping rein in those costs for students and their families.”
Along with additional funding, the bill also makes improvements to the state grant formula, such as an increased expense allowances to more closely mirror actual costs, an extension in the deadline to apply for a grant and an extra eligibility period for students who withdraw to serve in the military.
“I am proud to see the Legislature making higher education a top priority in Minnesota,” concluded Robling. “Minnesota’s educational system has always been a national leader and today we took a great step to keep it that way.”
Governor Tim Pawlenty is expected to sign the bill into law.
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