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A bill for an act
relating to children and families; reducing an appropriation for the Juvenile
Detention Alternatives Initiative; appropriating money for restorative practices
grants; amending Laws 2025, First Special Session chapter 5, article 1, section 3.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1.
Laws 2025, First Special Session chapter 5, article 1, section 3, is amended to
read:
Sec. 3.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE
MINNESOTA STATE COLLEGES AND
UNIVERSITIES
Subdivision 1.
Total Appropriation
$
879,039,000
$
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878,550,000
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878,050,000
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The amounts that may be spent for each
purpose are specified in the following
subdivisions.
Subd. 2.
Central Office and Shared Services
Unit
36,401,000
36,401,000
For the Office of the Chancellor and the
Shared Services Division.
Subd. 3.
Operations and Maintenance
830,873,000
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830,384,000
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829,884,000
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(a) $5,700,000 in fiscal year 2026 and
$5,700,000 in fiscal year 2027 are to provide
supplemental aid for operations and
maintenance to the president of each two-year
institution in the system with at least one
campus that is not located in a metropolitan
county, as defined in Minnesota Statutes,
section
473.121, subdivision 4
. The board
shall transfer at least $158,000 for each
campus not located in a metropolitan county
in each year to the president of each institution
that includes such a campus.
(b) The Board of Trustees is requested to help
Minnesota close the attainment gap by funding
activities which improve retention and
completion for students of color.
(c) $9,500,000 in fiscal year 2026 and
$9,500,000 in fiscal year 2027 are for
enterprise-wide technology, including
upgrading the Integrated Statewide Record
System and maintaining enterprise-wide
technology services.
(d) $50,000 in fiscal year 2026 and $50,000
in fiscal year 2027 are to reduce students'
out-of-pocket costs by expanding free
offerings in course materials and resources,
including through open educational resources,
open textbooks, and implementation of
Z-Degrees under Minnesota Statutes, section
136F.305
.
(e) $3,158,000 in fiscal year 2026 and
$3,158,000 in fiscal year 2027 are to expand
student support services. This appropriation
provides funding to campuses to address basic
needs insecurity, mental health, and other
high-need student support services by
increasing the amount of available resources
to students. In addition, this funding provides
systemwide resources and coordination,
including electronic connections for peer
support and professional clinical support for
mental health. These systemwide resources
must be available online 24 hours a day, seven
days a week.
(f) $883,000 in fiscal year 2026 and $894,000
in fiscal year 2027 are for costs associated
with the increased employer contribution rates
for the higher education individual retirement
account plan under Minnesota Statutes, section
354B.23, subdivision 3
.
(g) $282,000 in fiscal year 2026 and $282,000
in fiscal year 2027 are to pay the cost of
supplies and equipment necessary to provide
access to menstrual products under Minnesota
Statutes, section
135A.1365
.
(h) $809,000 in fiscal year 2026 and $809,000
in fiscal year 2027 are for unemployment
insurance aid under Minnesota Statutes,
section
268.193
, to institutions within the
system.
(i) $500,000 in fiscal year 2026
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and $500,000
in fiscal year 2027 are
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is
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for the Juvenile
Detention Alternatives Initiative at
Metropolitan State University. Of this amount,
$280,000
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each year
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is to provide juvenile
justice services and resources, including the
Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, to
Minnesota counties and federally recognized
Tribes; and $220,000
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each year
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is for funding
to local units of government, federally
recognized Tribes, and agencies to support
local Juvenile Detention Alternative
Initiatives, including but not limited to
alternatives to detention.
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Any unencumbered
balance remaining in the first year does not
cancel and is available in the second year
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This
is a onetime appropriation
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.
(j) $500,000 in fiscal year 2026 is to address
contamination of PFAS, as defined in
Minnesota Statutes, section
116.943
, arising
from or associated with the use of firefighting
foam at the Lake Superior College Emergency
Response Training Center (ERTC) prior to
January 1, 2015. Money may be used to
conduct environmental investigation and
response activities, including ERTC program
accommodations, and reimburse past expenses
incurred for these activities. This is a onetime
appropriation.
Subd. 4.
Direct Student Support
7,350,000
7,350,000
(a) $4,500,000 in fiscal year 2026 and
$4,500,000 in fiscal year 2027 are for
workforce development scholarships under
Minnesota Statutes, section
136F.38
. The
board may use up to five percent of this
appropriation to administer the programs. Of
the amount appropriated, $500,000 in fiscal
year 2027 only is for the law enforcement
grant pilot program under article 2, section 61.
(b) $2,250,000 in fiscal year 2026 and
$2,250,000 in fiscal year 2027 are for
emergency assistance grants to Minnesota
State Colleges and Universities students. The
Board of Trustees must:
(1) award emergency assistance grants directly
to students to meet immediate needs that could
interfere with the student completing the term
or their program, including but not limited to
emergency housing, food, and transportation;
(2) minimize any negative impact on student
financial aid resulting from the receipt of
emergency money; and
(3) by February 1 of each year, submit a report
to the chairs and ranking minority members
of the legislative committees with jurisdiction
over higher education on emergency assistance
grants awarded to students using the money
appropriated in this paragraph. The report must
detail:
(i) how money was distributed among
institutions;
(ii) the process by which students apply for
emergency assistance grants and institutions
make a determination about whether money
will be awarded;
(iii) how many students received emergency
assistance grants and the average award
amount;
(iv) the most common student needs that
grants were awarded to meet; and
(v) the average length of time between grant
application and disbursement to students.
(c) $600,000 in fiscal year 2026 and $600,000
in fiscal year 2027 are for hunger-free campus
activities. The Board of Trustees must:
(1) meet the following hunger-free campus
requirements on Minnesota State Colleges and
Universities campuses:
(i) maintain an on-campus food pantry or
partnership with a local food bank to provide
regular, on-campus food distributions;
(ii) provide information to students on the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP), the Minnesota Family Investment
Program (MFIP), and other programs that
reduce food insecurity;
(iii) notify students in work-study employment
of their potential eligibility for SNAP benefits
and provide information to those students
about eligibility criteria and how to apply for
benefits;
(iv) hold or participate in one hunger
awareness event per academic year;
(v) provide emergency assistance grants to
students; and
(vi) establish a hunger task force that meets a
minimum of three times per academic year
and that includes at least two students
currently enrolled at the institution;
(2) match at least 50 percent of the amount
appropriated in this paragraph with either
in-kind contributions or other resources; and
(3) by February 1 each year, submit a report
to the chairs and ranking minority members
of the legislative committees with jurisdiction
over higher education on hunger-free campus
activities performed using the money
appropriated in this paragraph. The report must
detail:
(i) how money was distributed among
institutions;
(ii) how hunger-free campus requirements
were met at those institutions; and
(iii) how many students were served.
Subd. 5.
Cook County Higher Education Board
300,000
300,000
For a grant to the Cook County Higher
Education Board to provide educational
programming, workforce development, and
academic support services to remote regions
in northeastern Minnesota. The Cook County
Higher Education Board shall continue to
provide information to the Board of Trustees
on the number of students served, credit hours
delivered, and services provided to students.
Subd. 6.
Learning Network of Minnesota
4,115,000
4,115,000
Sec. 2.
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OFFICE OF RESTORATIVE PRACTICES; APPROPRIATION.
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$500,000 in fiscal year 2027 is appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner
of children, youth, and families for the Office of Restorative Practices to issue grants under
Minnesota Statutes, section 142A.76, subdivision 5.
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