Minnesota Higher Education Committee Minutes and Review

Committee Observation

The author of this brief report was asked to attend a meeting of a political organization and offer a number of observations, facts and details as it relates to the meeting, what the organization does and where they get their funding, among other things. The details that will be included are the agency that was visited, the date of the visit, the programs and services that are provided to the community, the issues that were discussed during the meeting, the climate of the meeting, what was learned relative to what was known prior about th3e agency and the reaction to the meeting. A conclusion will wrap things up. While there were some newly learned things and items here and there, the meeting was fairly predictable and professional.

Review of Details

The meeting in question was for the Committee of Higher Educaiton Finance and Policy. The meeting occurred on March 14th, 2017 in Room 15 of the Capitol. All but one expected or normal person were there. The present people included Michelle Fischbach, Rich Graheim, Jim Abeler, Paul Anderson, Greg Clausen, Jason Isaacson, Scott Jensen and Jerry Newton. The one person that was absent was Richard Cohen. The meeting was called to order on time at 1 pm. The meeting lasted less than an hour with three major items being discussed. Those were SF 1519, SF 1743 and SF1982. 1519 was the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities tuition reduction appropriation. The discussion on this was brief as it was tabled for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill. 1753 is a supplemental aid bill that is to be allocated to colleges outside the metropolitan area. An amendment was offered by Sentator Fischbach and it was adopted. However, that bill itself was also set aside for future consideration with the omnibus bill. Finally, there was SF 1982. This bill is related to adjudication of fraud and/or the misrepresentation treatment modification. The bill was presented and, like the others, there as a testifier (that person on this bill was Nekey Oliver). This third bill was set aside for the omnibus as well. The meeting adjourned at 1:50 pm, about 50 minutes after it started. The meeting was a little on the dull side but it was admirable in how efficient, respectful and professional everyone was. Everyone clearly knew the format and expectations and both were followed quite well.

The agency and group of people in question are part of the largest Minnesota state government. The committee is based out of St. Paul and it meets every Tuesday and Thursday with the allocated time slot being 1 pm to 2:30 pm. Something unique in the meeting mentioned above was the discussion about the tuition reduction. This was covered in much more detail within a document that the author was able to obtain. Apparently, the Lutheran Social Service (LSS) of Minnesota is trying to partner with the State of Minnesota when it comes to lessening the tuition burden people who work in the social services and other non-profit spheres. LSS clearly has an interest in what goes on in St. Paul given that they are one of the larger non-profits in the state. Of course, the committee itself and the services they help fund come from tax collections from the state of Minnesota. Also predictable is that the committee handles and discusses issues of higher education in the state of Minnesota. The issues discussed were pretty basic and not wholly controversial. Indeed, there was not a lot of argument that some people should get assistance when it comes to tuition and preventing fraud and waste is also a high priority. There was not really any dissent or other issues. There was a lot of deferring for the later omnibus but everyone had their say and things moved along rather efficiently. Other than the amendment for one of the three bills, no real action was taken (Minnesota Senate, 2017).