Minnesota House adopts higher education finance and policy bill, funds foster-youth grants and enrollment-verification program

The Minnesota House on Wednesday adopted a conference committee report on House File 4252, a higher education finance and policy bill that includes targeted funding to address enrollment fraud, support former foster youth and repair campus tree damage.

Representative Altamonte moved to adopt the conference committee report and summarized the bill’s main appropriations: $3 million for identification-verification systems intended to combat enrollment fraud, $2.7 million to cover a shortfall in the fostering independence grants so former foster youth can pursue postsecondary education, and $5,000 to replace trees at Bemidji State University. "That's our bill and I would urge members to give it a green vote," Representative Altamonte said.

The bill does not address a larger structural deficit in the state grant program, a point raised repeatedly during debate. "We were not able to get a target that would be able to make a dent" in the roughly $131 million shortfall in the state grant program, Representative Altamonte said, and several members said that remedy will require work in a future session.

Representative Robbins thanked conferees and staff for their work and urged support while reiterating concerns about the state grant program’s underlying problems. Robbins noted the conference report plugged a late-breaking shortfall in the fostering independence grant and called that a priority: "We are very happy. It was just over $2 million dollars. We were able to kind of cobble together to take care of the kids in foster care," Robbins said.

Members also described a low-cost approach to replanting trees at Bemidji State University after recent storm damage. A sponsor said a partnership with the University of Minnesota will allow replacement of approximately 200 mature trees over about five years for about $5,000 rather than a substantially larger initial estimate.

After debate, the House adopted the conference committee report and proceeded to a roll-call vote. The clerk reported 101 yeas and 33 nays; the bill was repassed as amended by the conference committee and its title was agreed to.

The record shows the conference committee report was presented to the House and adopted; the enacted text and next procedural steps (such as enrollment or transmittal) appear in the legislative record following the clerk’s action at the close of the session.