The
Office of Higher Education
(OHE) presented before both the House and Senate higher education committees this week. Committee members had the opportunity to meet the new Office of Higher Education Commissioner Dennis Olson.
Born and raised in Cloquet, Commissioner Olson served as the Executive Director of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. In this role, Dennis worked closely with tribal elected leaders, the state legislature, state agencies, and the governor to highlight and address issues important to all Tribal Nations and American Indian communities in Minnesota. Prior to his appointment with the Indian Affairs Council, Dennis served as the Director of the Office of Indian Education for the Minnesota Department of Education, working closely with Tribal Nations, urban American Indian communities, and multiple partner agencies and organizations to address key issues impacting Indian Education in Minnesota.
The Senate received greater detail from OHE about the Minnesota State Grant program they oversee. The program has a $198 million annual budget for almost 81,000 recipients. Of those recipients, approximately 35,400 of State Grant recipients attend Minnesota State two-year colleges; and 15,099 attend Minnesota State four-year universities.
There are no committee hearings or floor sessions scheduled for today. Both the Senate and House of Representatives
offices will be closed on Monday, January 21
in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Lawmakers will return to work on Tuesday. Both the House and Senate higher education committees meet Tuesday afternoon. The Senate is scheduled to hear presentations from the Masonic Cancer Center and the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics. The House is scheduled to hear from members and staff about how higher education has impacted them and their families.
Students United
is also scheduled to present to the committee about their mission, visions, goals and challenges as an organization.
Mark your calendars:
Minnesota State Day at the Capitol
will be Tuesday, January 29, 2:30-4:00 p.m. in the State Capitol Rotunda. Minnesota State’s 30 state colleges and seven state universities will be at the Capitol to share student and campus stories with legislators and the public.
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Next Week at the Capitol
Tuesday, January 22
8:00 a.m.
House Capital Investment
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mary Murphy
Agenda: Continuation of Reports from January 15th and 17th meetings:
The public is invited to report (up to 5 minutes) on a 19th or 20th century state funded bonding project in your region that inspired you, or in some way changed the lives or culture of the people who lived, live or made others want to come to the area to settle, visit, recreate, work or, in general, just have a better life.
What is State Bonding? An Explanation of the Different Types of Bonding
• Deborah Dyson, House Researcher
• Andrew Lee, Fiscal Analyst
8:00 a.m.
House Economic Development Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Tim Mahoney
Agenda: Overview of the Department of Labor and Industry
Overview of the Bureau of Mediation Services - Commissioner Janet L. Johnson
9:45 a.m.
House Government Operations
Room: B State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mike Freiberg
Agenda: Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement, Presentation
HF33 (Poston): A bill for an act relating to local government; including service cooperatives in the definition of governmental units for purposes of joint powers; amending Minnesota Statutes 2018, section 471.59, subdivision 1.
11:30 a.m.
House in Session
1:00 p.m.
Senate Higher Education Finance and Policy
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Paul Anderson
Agenda:
Presentation from the Masonic Cancer Center
Presentation from the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics
2:30 p.m.
House Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Connie Bernardy
Agenda:
Members & Staff: "How has higher education impacted you and/or your family?"
Students United: Presentation of Vision, Mission, Goals, and Challenges
2:30 p.m.
Joint Education Policy Committee and Education Finance Division Meeting
Room:
Capitol 120
Chairs:
Rep. Cheryl Youakim & Rep. Jim Davnie
Agenda:
Presentations: Mental Health and Youth
National Alliance on Mental Illness – Minnesota
Minnesota School Counselors Association
Education Minnesota
PrairieCare
2:30 p.m.
House Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Rob Ecklund
Agenda:
Presentation from MN Department of Veterans Affairs
Presentation from MN Department of Military Affairs
Wednesday, January 23
2:30 p.m.
House Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Connie Bernardy
Agenda:
Tribal College Presentations of Vision, Mission, Goals, and Challenges
Minnesota Private College Council: Presentation of Vision, Mission, Goals, and Challenges
Inter Faculty Organization & Minnesota State College Faculty: Presentation of Vision, Mission, Goals, and Challenges
2:30 p.m.
House Education Policy
Room:
State Office Building Room 5
Chair: Rep. Jim Davnie
Agenda:
Presentations: What Students Bring to the Classroom
Kent Pekel, President and Chief Executive Officer, Search Institute
Angela Jerabek, Executive Director, BARR Center
Thursday, January 24
9:45 a.m.
House Agriculture and Food Finance and Policy
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Jeanne Poppe
Agenda:
Department of Agriculture presentation on services for farm stress and rural mental health support
Pending introductions and referrals (additional mental health related bills may be added)
-HF xx (Poppe) – Providing additional funding for statewide mental health counseling support farm families and business operators and the farm advocates program
-HF xx (Kiel) – Providing additional funding for statewide mental health counseling support farm families and business operators
Minnesota Department of Agriculture update on agriculture trade and new market initiatives
9:45 a.m.
House Government Operations
Room: B State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mike Freiberg
Agenda: HF13 (Kunesh-Podein): Gender equality provided for under the law, and constitutional amendment proposed.
HF71 (Moran): Equal rights; a resolution memorializing Congress to remove the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution by the states.
1:00 p.m.
Senate Higher Education Finance and Policy
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Paul Anderson
Agenda: Presentation from the University of Minnesota Medical Discovery Teams
Friday, January 25
9:30 a.m.
Senate E-12 Finance and Policy
Room: 1200 Minnesota Senate Bldg.
Chair: Sen. Carla J. Nelson
Agenda: The P-TECH School Model - A new 6 year public school model focused on STEM fields and Career and Technical Education
