Minnesota SF 2683: Upper Mississippi River basin forest lands acquisition and lake protection appropriation

Bill Text

1.1 A bill for an act​
1.2 relating to higher education; eliminating the North Star Promise scholarship​
1.3 program; appropriating unencumbered balances in the North Star Promise special​
1.4 revenue fund account to the state grant program; amending Minnesota Statutes​
1.5 2024, sections 136A.053; 136A.84, subdivision 3; repealing Minnesota Statutes​
1.6 2024, section 136A.1465.​
1.7 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:​
1.8 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 136A.053, is amended to read:​
1.9 136A.053 CONSOLIDATED STUDENT AID REPORTING.​
1.10 (a) The commissioner of the Office of Higher Education shall report annually beginning​
1.11 February 15, 2026, to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees​
1.12 with jurisdiction over higher education, on the details of programs administered under​
1.13 sections 136A.091 to 136A.1276, 136A.1465, and 136A.231 to 136A.246, including the:​
1.14 (1) total funds appropriated and expended;​
1.15 (2) total number of students applying for funds;​
1.16 (3) total number of students receiving funds;​
1.17 (4) average and total award amounts;​
1.18 (5) summary demographic data on award recipients;​
1.19 (6) retention rates of award recipients;​
1.20 (7) completion rates of award recipients;​
1.21 (8) average cumulative debt at exit or graduation; and​
1​Section 1.​
25-03081 as introduced​03/03/25 REVISOR VH/ES​
SENATE​
STATE OF MINNESOTA​
S.F. No. 2683​NINETY-FOURTH SESSION​
(SENATE AUTHORS: UTKE, Farnsworth and Koran)​
OFFICIAL STATUS​D-PG​DATE​
Introduction and first reading​871​03/17/2025​
Referred to Higher Education​
See HF4252​

2.1 (9) average time to completion.​
2.2 (b) Data must be disaggregated by program, institution, aid year, race and ethnicity,​
2.3 gender, income, family type, dependency status, and any other factors determined to be​
2.4 relevant by the commissioner. The commissioner must report any additional data and​
2.5 outcomes relevant to the evaluation of programs administered under sections 136A.091 to​
2.6 136A.1276, 136A.1465, and 136A.231 to 136A.246 as evidenced by activities funded under​
2.7 each program.​
2.8 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective March 1, 2026.​
2.9 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 136A.84, subdivision 3, is amended to read:​
2.10 Subd. 3.Information.The commissioner shall provide information about the Minnesota​
2.11 state grant program and the North Star Promise and encourage students to determine their​
2.12 eligibility for financial aid based on FAFSA and state financial aid application completion.​
2.13 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.​
2.14 Sec. 3. UNENCUMBERED NORTH STAR PROMISE FUNDS; APPROPRIATION.​
2.15 On July 1, 2025, any unencumbered balance in the special revenue fund account under​
2.16 Minnesota Statutes, section 136A.1465, subdivision 6, is transferred to the general fund​
2.17 and appropriated to the commissioner of the Office of Higher Education in fiscal year 2026​
2.18 for the state grant program under Minnesota Statutes, section 136A.121. By August 1, 2025,​
2.19 the commissioner of the Office of Higher Education and the commissioner of the Office of​
2.20 Management and Budget shall report to the chairs and ranking minority members of the​
2.21 legislative committees with jurisdiction over higher education regarding the closing​
2.22 transactions for the special revenue fund account and certify that the account has been closed​
2.23 with a $0 balance.​
2.24 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.​
2.25 Sec. 4. REPEALER.​
2.26 Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 136A.1465, is repealed.​
2.27 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment and​
2.28 affects scholarship awards beginning in the fall 2025 term.​
2​Sec. 4.​
25-03081 as introduced​03/03/25 REVISOR VH/ES​

136A.1465 NORTH STAR PROMISE.​
Subdivision 1.Definitions.The following terms have the meanings given:​
(1) "eligible student" means a resident student under section 136A.101, subdivision 8, who is​
enrolled in any public postsecondary educational institution or Tribal college and who meets the​
eligibility requirements in subdivision 2;​
(2) "gift aid" includes:​
(i) all federal financial aid that is not a loan or pursuant to a work-study program;​
(ii) state financial aid, unless designated for other expenses, that is not a loan or pursuant to a​
work-study program;​
(iii) institutional financial aid, including a grant, scholarship, tuition waiver, fellowship stipend,​
or other payment, unless designated for other expenses, that is not a loan or pursuant to a work-study​
program; and​
(iv) all private financial aid that is not a loan or pursuant to a work-study program.​
Financial aid from the state, public postsecondary educational institutions, and Tribal colleges that​
is specifically designated for other expenses is not gift aid for purposes of the North Star Promise​
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