District 21B Rep. Marj Fogelman issued a press release Thursday in which she explained her opposition to Minnesota House legislation passed Tuesday that funds Minnesota’s higher education budget for the next two years.
Included in the bill, Fogelman said, is language that offers “free” college tuition for Minnesota students if their family has an adjusted gross income below $80,000. Said the Fulda Republican: “It’s an insult to all of the families who work hard to save money to pay for their kids’ education, and the students who work hard to get good grades in high school and fill out the endless paperwork to earn scholarships.”
The press release states that specific language in the bill notes that more than $215 million will be spent to provide free college to Minnesota students at a Minnesota public post-secondary institution if their family has an adjusted gross income below $80,000.
Fogelman noted other problematic provisions in the higher education agreement: an 18.5% increase in spending, the deletion of workforce development scholarships which helps students who are studying in high-demand fields
and providing “free” menstrual products to students by having them placed in both girls and boys restrooms. Fogelman stated that this “free” menstrual product program will cost taxpayers more than $2 million.