Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Minnesota House Bill HF2634 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1.1 A bill for an act
2	2	1.2 relating to higher education; limiting the North Star Promise scholarship's eligibility
3	3	1.3 conditions to students enrolled in programs in high-demand industries and
4	4	1.4 occupations; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 136A.1465, subdivisions
5	5	1.5 2, 10, by adding a subdivision.
6	6	1.6BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
7	7	1.7 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 136A.1465, subdivision 2, is amended to
8	8	1.8read:
9	9	1.9 Subd. 2.Conditions for eligibility.A scholarship may be awarded to an eligible student
10	10	1.10who:
11	11	1.11 (1) has completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the state
12	12	1.12aid application;
13	13	1.13 (2) has a family adjusted gross income below $80,000;
14	14	1.14 (3) is a graduate of a secondary school or its equivalent, or is 17 years of age or over
15	15	1.15and has met all requirements for admission as a student to an eligible college or university;
16	16	1.16 (4) has not earned a baccalaureate degree at the time the scholarship is awarded;
17	17	1.17 (5) is enrolled in at least one credit per fall, spring, or summer semester;
18	18	1.18 (6) is enrolled in a program or course of study that applies to a degree, diploma, or
19	19	1.19certificate in an eligible program of study under subdivision 2a;
20	20	1.20 (7) is not in default, as defined by the office, of any federal or state student educational
21	21	1.21loan;
22	22	1Section 1.
23	23	REVISOR VH/ES 25-0467103/18/25
24	24	State of Minnesota
25	25	This Document can be made available
26	26	in alternative formats upon request
27	27	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
28	28	H. F. No. 2634
29	29	NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
30	30	Authored by Bakeberg03/24/2025
31	31	The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Higher Education Finance and Policy 2.1 (8) is not more than 30 days in arrears in court-ordered child support that is collected or
32	32	2.2enforced by the public authority responsible for child support enforcement or, if the applicant
33	33	2.3is more than 30 days in arrears in court-ordered child support that is collected or enforced
34	34	2.4by the public authority responsible for child support enforcement, but is complying with a
35	35	2.5written payment agreement under section 518A.69 or order for arrearages;
36	36	2.6 (9) has not been convicted of or pled nolo contendere or guilty to a crime involving
37	37	2.7fraud in obtaining federal Title IV funds within the meaning of Code of Federal Regulations,
38	38	2.8subtitle B, chapter VI, part 668, subpart C; and
39	39	2.9 (10) is meeting satisfactory academic progress as defined in section 136A.101, subdivision
40	40	2.1010.
41	41	2.11 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 136A.1465, is amended by adding a subdivision
42	42	2.12to read:
43	43	2.13 Subd. 2a.Eligible programs of study.(a) Eligibility for the North Star Promise
44	44	2.14scholarship program is limited to students pursuing programs of study in industries and
45	45	2.15occupations that are in demand in Minnesota.
46	46	2.16 (b) The office shall determine in-demand industries and occupations based on employment
47	47	2.17data provided by the Department of Employment and Economic Development. The
48	48	2.18determination shall be based on the top 20 industries and occupations with the highest
49	49	2.19projected employment growth or the highest number of job openings in the state. The office
50	50	2.20shall review the list of in-demand industries and occupations at least once every three years.
51	51	2.21The office may adjust the list as needed to reflect updated employment data from the
52	52	2.22Department of Employment and Economic Development.
53	53	2.23 (c) The office shall approve programs of study that lead to employment in in-demand
54	54	2.24industries and occupations. The office shall review and update the list of approved programs
55	55	2.25at least once every three years to ensure alignment with current labor market data.
56	56	2.26 Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 136A.1465, subdivision 10, is amended to read:
57	57	2.27 Subd. 10.Report.The commissioner of higher education shall submit a preliminary
58	58	2.28report by September 1, 2025, and an annual report beginning February 15, 2026, to the
59	59	2.29chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over
60	60	2.30higher education, on the details of the program, including the:
61	61	2.31 (1) the status of the scholarship fund; and
62	62	2.32 (2) a list of all currently eligible programs of study under subdivision 2a; and
63	63	2Sec. 3.
64	64	REVISOR VH/ES 25-0467103/18/25 3.1 (2) (3) North Star Promise participation data aggregated for each eligible institution to
65	65	3.2show the:
66	66	3.3 (i) number of eligible students who received scholarships in the prior academic year;
67	67	3.4 (ii) average and total award amounts;
68	68	3.5 (iii) summary demographic data on award recipients;
69	69	3.6 (iv) total number of students enrolled in eligible institutions in the prior academic year;
70	70	3.7 (v) retention rates of participating students; and
71	71	3.8 (vi) number of eligible students who graduated with a degree and, for each eligible
72	72	3.9student, the number of consecutive semesters and nonconsecutive semesters attended prior
73	73	3.10to graduation; and
74	74	3.11 (vii) eligible programs of study under subdivision 2a in which scholarship recipients
75	75	3.12were enrolled.
76	76	3.13 Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.
77	77	3.14 This act is effective the day following final enactment and applies to scholarship awards
78	78	3.15beginning in the fall term of the 2026-2027 academic year.
79	79	3Sec. 4.
80	80	REVISOR VH/ES 25-0467103/18/25