This blog delves into Plural’s AI-generated end-of-session report for Minnesota. Learn more and get started today.
At Plural, we’re committed to increasing access to and understanding of the public policy developments that shape our lives. We aim to increase transparency by providing easier access to public information. To this end, we’re leveraging technology to make digesting and acting on that information less intimidating.
Careful but ambitious adoption of artificial intelligence has been central to this strategy and has helped us expand access to legislative data. While we’ve always pursued a multifaceted approach in applying artificial intelligence to public policy data, we’ve recently moved towards creating comprehensive insights by leveraging our various datasets. The growth in our AI strategy and development can be seen with our latest release, Plural’s end-of-session report generator.
This tool, piloted in Minnesota before expansion to other jurisdictions, allows users to generate analyses of legislative action on various topics throughout a single legislative session. Like all of our AI features, these insights are rooted deeply in the source public policy data — bill text, votes, etc. — and not in external information like media coverage. This focus on the core policy data we have access to preserves accuracy and removes bias. As ever, we advise users to treat AI-generation tools as research and writing partners and to closely review and edit analyses for their own needs.
Below you can take a look at one of these reports, assessing developments in Education and Childcare policy during the 2023-2024 session of the Minnesota Legislature.
Minnesota Legislative Session 2023-2024: End of Session Report – Education and Childcare
Read the full text of Plural’s AI-generated end-of-session report for Minnesota’s Education and Childcare legislation throughout the 2023-2024 legislative session.
Introduction
The 2023-2024 Minnesota legislative session saw significant activity in the realm of education and childcare policy. Key themes included expanding access to affordable education, strengthening support for diverse student populations, and bolstering the early childhood education system. This report provides a detailed overview of the major changes enacted through various bills.
Key Themes and Patterns
- Affordability and Access: A major focus was placed on making education more affordable and accessible, particularly for low-income families and underrepresented groups. This is evident in the establishment of the North Star Promise tuition-free program (HF2073), expansion of early learning scholarships (HF2292), and provision of free school meals for all students (HF5).
- Equity and Inclusion: Several bills addressed educational equity by mandating ethnic studies curricula (HF2497), expanding American Indian education programs (HF2497, HF5237), and strengthening protections for students with disabilities (HF121, SF3567).
- Workforce Development: Recognizing the critical need for qualified educators, the legislature passed bills to support the early childhood education workforce through grant programs (HF2292) and address teacher shortages by modifying licensure requirements (HF2497, SF3567).
- Mental Health and Well-being: The session saw increased attention to student mental health, with bills requiring mental health instruction (SF3567) and expanding access to telehealth services in schools (SF3567).
Extremely Important Changes
- Free School Meals for All Students (HF5): This landmark legislation guarantees free breakfast and lunch to all Minnesota students, regardless of income, eliminating financial barriers to school meals.
- North Star Promise Tuition-Free Program (HF2073): This program aims to make college more affordable by providing tuition-free education to eligible students from families earning under $80,000.
- Expansion of Early Learning Scholarships (HF2292): This initiative broadens access to high-quality early care and learning by expanding eligibility and increasing funding for early learning scholarships.
- Mandated Ethnic Studies Curriculum (HF2497): This bill requires high schools to offer ethnic studies courses and mandates ethnic studies instruction in elementary and middle schools, promoting cultural understanding and inclusivity.
- Strengthened Human Rights Protections (HF4109): This bill significantly expands and strengthens Minnesota’s human rights laws, broadening definitions of protected classes, increasing penalties for discrimination, and providing additional remedies for victims.
Bill Summaries
1. HF112 – Review of Physical Education Standards Delayed: This bill delays the review of physical education standards in Minnesota by four years, moving the start date from the 2022-2023 school year to the 2026-2027 school year.
2. HF1126 – Postsecondary Attainment Goals, Student Financial Aid, Institutional Licensure Provisions, and Institutional Grant Program Policy Changes Provided: This bill enacts various changes to higher education policies, including expanding postsecondary attainment goals, modifying grant and scholarship programs, refining definitions and exemptions for institutions, and adjusting data reporting requirements.
3. HF121 – Competency Attainment; Technical Changes Made, and Money Appropriated: This bill aims to improve the process of assessing and addressing competency issues in criminal proceedings, focusing on helping defendants attain competency. It includes terminology changes, refined definitions, clarified procedures for competency examinations, and establishes standards for competency attainment programs.
4. HF1486 – Supervised Practice of Alcohol and Drug Counseling by Former Students Allowed for Limited Time, HIV Training Requirements Modified in Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs, Withdrawal Management License Requirements Modified, and Substance Use Disorder Treatment Client Record Documentation Requirements Modified: This bill allows recent graduates in alcohol and drug counseling to practice under supervision for a limited time, updates HIV training requirements in substance use disorder treatment programs, expands eligible facilities for withdrawal management program licensing, and modifies documentation requirements for client records.
5. HF2073 – Higher Education Finance and Policy Bill: This bill provides funding and policy changes for higher education, including increased appropriations for various institutions, creation of new scholarship and student aid programs (including the North Star Promise program), establishment of support centers, and modifications to grant programs and reporting requirements.
6. HF2292 – Early Learning Scholarships, Head Start, and Early Education Programs Modified; Early Childhood Educator Programs Provided; Reports Required; and Money Appropriated: This bill modifies Head Start funding, establishes the Great Start Scholarships Program, expands early learning scholarship eligibility, increases developmental screening aid, requires licensed teachers for preschool programs, creates an early childhood educator grant program, modifies the Quality Rating and Improvement System, and increases funding for various early childhood programs.
7. HF2497 – Education Finance Bill: This bill establishes new requirements for American Indian education and ethnic studies, makes changes to teacher licensure, creates new grant programs, prohibits American Indian mascots in schools, and makes various changes to curriculum, standards, and education programs.
8. HF3100 – Pension Finance Bill: This bill focuses on public pension plans, reducing the assumed investment rate of return, modifying postretirement adjustments, reducing vesting requirements, adjusting contribution rates, and providing direct state aid to various plans.
9. HF3489 – School Resource Officers; Public Safety Provided, Grounds for Use of Reasonable Force in Schools Modified, School Resource Officer Duties Defined and Minimum Training Requirements Established, School Resource Officer Model Policy Development Required, and Money Appropriated: This bill clarifies the role of school resource officers, modifies the grounds for use of force in schools, establishes specific duties and training requirements for SROs, mandates the development of a model SRO policy, and provides funding for implementation.
10. HF3613 – Forecasted Metro Mobility Funding Clarifications Provided, Education Forecast Adjustments Effective Date Provided, and Money Appropriated: This bill makes technical corrections to the forecasted Metro Mobility funding statute, changes effective dates related to education forecast adjustments, and provides a retroactive effective date for a separate piece of legislation.
11. HF4024 – Higher Education Policy and Finance Bill: This bill modifies funding for ALS research grants, expands eligibility for the Fostering Independence Higher Education Grants program, adjusts funding for the North Star Promise scholarship program, establishes new policies for campus sexual misconduct and criminal records in admissions, regulates online program management companies, implements protections for pregnant and parenting students, modifies requirements for private career schools, and makes various technical changes to higher education statutes.
12. HF4109 – Human Rights Law Provided, and Civil Penalties and Other Remedies Provided: This bill significantly expands and strengthens Minnesota’s human rights laws by broadening definitions of protected classes, increasing penalties for discrimination, and providing additional remedies for victims.
13. HF4518 – Education Finance Forecast Adjustments Made, and Money Appropriated: This bill proposes adjustments to education finance appropriations for fiscal years 2024 and 2025, covering various areas of education funding, including general education, special education, early childhood education, and facilities.
14. HF5 – Free School Lunch and Breakfast Provided for Students, and Money Appropriated: This bill establishes a comprehensive free school meals program in Minnesota, providing funding to ensure all students can receive free breakfast and lunch. It also adjusts related funding mechanisms and allocates resources for implementation.
15. HF5040 – Pensions Supplemental Budget Bill: This bill proposes changes to various public employee pension and retirement plans, including adjusting retirement ages, contribution rates, benefit formulas, and eligibility criteria for different plans.
16. HF5237 – Education Supplemental Budget Bill: This bill makes extensive changes to laws related to children, education, child protection, and family services. Key proposals include modifying education funding provisions, implementing the “Read Act,” expanding American Indian education programs, revising teacher policies, updating charter school regulations, and making changes to child protection laws, foster care, adoption procedures, and support services.
17. SF3567 – Omnibus Education Policy Bill: This bill makes numerous technical and policy changes across multiple areas of K-12 education, including education excellence, teacher licensure and training, reading instruction, special education, charter schools, nutrition and libraries, health and safety, early learning, and education partnerships.
Conclusion
The 2023-2024 Minnesota legislative session brought about substantial changes to education and childcare policies, reflecting a commitment to expanding access, promoting equity, and supporting the well-being of all learners. These changes are expected to have a significant impact on the state’s education system and the lives of children and families for years to come.
Get Started With Plural’s AI-Generated End-of-Session Reports
Top public policy teams in Minnesota and across the country trust Plural for their legislative intelligence needs. With Plural, you’ll:
- Access superior public policy data
- Be the first to know about new bills and changes in bill status
- Streamline your day with seamless organization features
- Harness the power of time-saving AI tools to gain insights into individual bills and the entire legislative landscape
- Keep everyone on the same page with internal collaboration and external reporting all in one place
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