State Legislative Agenda
State Legislative Agenda
Students United has committed to advocating for policies at the state level that support students’ basic needs, college affordability, the rights of student loan borrowers, and investment in our Minnesota State System.
2025 Priorities
Invest in the Hunger-Free Campus Grant
Over a quarter of students across the seven Minnesota State Universities live with the daily burden of food insecurity. The Hunger Free Campus Grant is a necessary investment in students’ basic needs. The funds from the Hunger Free Campus Grant go directly to campus-wide efforts to ease student hunger through food pantry staffing, equipment upgrades, and food and supply purchasing. By supporting campus food pantries, we’re improving student grades, raising graduation rates, and bettering mental health outcomes for students.
Scale the Direct Admissions Minnesota program
Today, some 180 Minnesota high schools have opted into the Office of Higher Education’s Direct Admissions Minnesota program. Direct Admissions Minnesota notifies graduating Minnesota high school seniors that partner colleges and universities will admit them (upon application) based on their academic records and projected graduation date. With our coalition partners, we are looking to increase the scale of this life-changing program, which preliminary data shows can improve FAFSA completion and matriculation rates, especially among low-income Minnesotans.
Improve Naloxone access on campus
Amid an ongoing opioid crisis in the United States, colleges and universities remain a blind spot in the state’s harm reduction strategy. Overdose deaths rose nationally by 34% among young adults between 2018 and 2022. The ongoing mental health crisis remains a key contributor to opioid abuse.
Despite this, many public higher education institutions choose not to carry lifesaving naloxone (also referred to as Narcan) on campuses. We are calling for colleges and universities to stock naloxone in residential campus buildings and requesting that colleges and universities be added to the existing DHS Standing Order Portal to access naloxone.
Support Minnesota State’s Budget Request
We believe a robust student support system is the best way to ensure students graduate college. Mental health resources, basic needs investments, and open educational resources are key to creating an accessible, affordable, and attainable education. We are in full support of the Minnesota State Systems Office Budget Request.
2024 Priorities
Enhancing Students' Access to SNAP Benefits
Too many students across our seven universities live with the daily burden of food insecurity and, as a result, suffer worse academic outcomes and struggle to complete their degrees. This crisis impacts over a quarter of students in Minnesota, and it’s time to act. Specifically, Students United calls on Minnesota’s lawmakers to clarify state law and allow more low-income, food-insecure students to access this federal benefit.
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Expanding Minnesota's Borrower Bill of Rights
With almost $30 billion in collectively held outstanding loan debt, the student debt crisis is a reality experienced by thousands of Minnesotans, especially the more than 85,000 Minnesotans in delinquency. Minnesota’s student loan borrowers owe an average of $37,492 for state college students. Students United asks lawmakers to expand the Student Borrower Bill of Rights, establish an individual right of action, and clarify Minnesota’s student loan ombudsperson’s market monitoring authority.
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Universal FAFSA Requirement
Fewer than half of Minnesota high school students complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), putting Minnesota 40th in the country for FAFSA completion as of 2023. As a result, Minnesota’s graduating classes of 2021 and 2022 left nearly $100 million of federal student aid on the table. Under universal FAFSA, high schools would integrate FAFSA completion into their senior graduation and post-secondary planning process, requiring seniors to complete the FAFSA or an application for state financial aid before graduation unless they complete a “no questions asked” opt-out form or are issued a hardship waiver.
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Supporting Minnesota State's Bonding and Supplemental Budget Requests
These resources will ensure that Minnesota State can maintain safe and adequate campus buildings, which are crucial to the student experience, and continue to deliver high-quality academic programs.