Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that appropriates extra funds for education and amends certain education regulations.

Highlights:

• Appropriates certain funds to education for fiscal year 2017, including, but not limited to, $7 million for broadband expansion grants and $5 million for children’s mental health grants (Art. 11, Sec. 19 & Art. 8, Sec. 94).

• Authorizes an eligible school district to appropriate revenue for recruitment, retention, and hiring incentives to increase the diversity of teachers and administrators (Art. 8, Sec. 56).

• Authorizes a school board to appropriate revenue for early childhood family education to establish an integrated early learning program (Art. 12, Sec. 1).

• Requires an employer to provide an employee with information about the employee’s potential eligibility for the federal public service loan forgiveness program (Art. 2, Sec. 11).

• Authorizes a school district with an outstanding capital loan balance that received a maximum effort capital loan prior to 2007 to repay the commissioner of education by November 30, 2016 the full principal loan without liability or interest (Art. 11, Sec. 18).

• Requires an individual at the University of Minnesota to obtain authorization from the institutional review board or stem cell oversight committee before conducting research using fetal tissue (Art. 4, Sec. 1).

• Requires the Office of the Ombudsman to monitor the treatment of individuals participating in a University of Minnesota Department of Psychiatry clinical drug trial (Art. 5, Sec. 1).

• Requires a student to correctly answer at least 30 of a 50-question civics test, which is recorded on the student’s transcript (Art. 8, Sec. 4).

• Authorizes a teacher to remove a student from class for violent or disruptive conduct (Art. 8, Sec. 45).

• Prohibits the commissioner of education from establishing or assisting with a survey seeking information about a student’s experiences relating to activities including, but not limited to, sexual activities or substance abuse (Art. 8, Sec. 61).

Full Bill Text