2005 Minnesota Statutes - 136A.08 — Reciprocal agreements relating to nonresident tuition with other states or provinces.

     136A.08 Reciprocal agreements relating to nonresident 
  tuition with other states or provinces. 


    Subdivision 1.    Definitions.  For the purposes of this 
 section, the terms "province" and "provincial" mean the Canadian 
 province of Manitoba. 


    Subd. 2.    Authorization.  The Higher Education 
 Services Office, in consultation with the commissioner of 
 finance and each affected public postsecondary board, may enter 
 into agreements, on subjects that include remission of 
 nonresident tuition for designated categories of students at 
 public postsecondary institutions, with appropriate state or 
 provincial agencies and public postsecondary institutions in 
 other states or provinces.  The agreements shall be for the 
 purpose of the mutual improvement of educational advantages for 
 residents of this state and other states or provinces with whom 
 agreements are made.  


    Subd. 3.    Wisconsin.  A higher education reciprocity 
 agreement with the state of Wisconsin may include provision for 
 the transfer of funds between Minnesota and Wisconsin.  If this 
 provision is included, the amount of funds to be transferred 
 shall be determined according to a formula which is mutually 
 acceptable to the office and a duly designated agency 
 representing Wisconsin.  The formula shall recognize differences 
 in tuition rates between the two states and the number of 
 students attending institutions in each state under the 
 agreement.  Any payments to Minnesota by Wisconsin shall be 
 deposited by the office in the general fund of the state 
 treasury.  The amount required for the payments shall be 
 certified by the director of the office to the commissioner of 
 finance annually. 


    Subd. 4.    North Dakota; South Dakota.  A reciprocity 
 agreement with North Dakota may include provision for the 
 transfer of funds between Minnesota and North Dakota.  If 
 provision for transfer of funds between the two states is 
 included, the amount of funds to be transferred shall be 
 determined according to a formula which is mutually acceptable 
 to the office and a duly designated agency representing North 
 Dakota.  In adopting a formula, the office shall consider 
 tuition rates in the two states and the number of students 
 attending institutions in each state under the agreement.  Any 
 payment to Minnesota by North Dakota shall be deposited by the 
 office in the general fund.  The amount required for the 
 payments shall be certified by the director of the office to the 
 commissioner of finance annually.  All provisions in this 
 subdivision pertaining to North Dakota shall also be applied to 
 South Dakota, and all authority and conditions granted for 
 higher education reciprocity with North Dakota are also granted 
 for higher education reciprocity with South Dakota. 


    Subd. 5.    Financial aid.  The office may enter into an 
 agreement, with a state or province with which it has negotiated 
 a reciprocity agreement for tuition, to permit students to 
 receive student aid awards from the student's state or province 
 of residence for attending an eligible institution in the other 
 state or province. 


    Subd. 6.    Approval.  An agreement made by the office 
 under this section is not valid as to a particular institution 
 without the approval of that institution's state or provincial 
 governing board.  A valid agreement under this subdivision that 
 incurs additional financial liability to the state or to any of 
 the Minnesota public postsecondary boards, beyond enrollment 
 funding adjustments, must be submitted to the commissioner of 
 finance and to the chairs of the higher education finance 
 divisions of the senate and house for review.  The agreement 
 remains valid unless it is disapproved in law. 


    Subd. 7.    Reporting.  The Higher Education Services 
 Office must annually, before the last day in January, submit a 
 report to the committees in the house of representatives and the 
 senate with responsibility for higher education finance on: 


    (1) participation in the tuition reciprocity program by 
 Minnesota students and students from other states attending 
 Minnesota postsecondary institutions under a reciprocity 
 agreement; 


    (2) reciprocity and resident tuition rates at each 
 institution; and 


    (3) interstate payments and obligations for each state 
 participating in the tuition reciprocity program in the prior 
 year. 


    Subd. 8.    Data sharing.  (a) The Higher Education 
 Services Office must consider developing data collection 
 procedures and agreements to monitor the extent to which 
 students who attend Minnesota postsecondary institutions under 
 reciprocity agreements are employed in Minnesota after 
 graduation.  These procedures must include matching Social 
 Security numbers of reciprocity students for purposes of 
 tracking the migration and employment of students who receive 
 associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degrees through a tuition 
 reciprocity program.  State agencies must share wage and 
 earnings data under section 268.19 for the purpose of evaluating 
 the tuition reciprocity program.  


    (b) The reciprocity application must request the use of 
 student Social Security numbers for the purposes of this 
 subdivision.  Reciprocity students must be informed that Social 
 Security numbers will be used only for monitoring described in 
 paragraph (a), by sharing information with Minnesota agencies 
 and departments responsible for the administration of covered 
 wage data and revenue collections.  Social Security numbers must 
 not be used for any other purpose or reported to any other 
 government entity. 


    (c) The office must include summary data on the migration 
 and earnings of reciprocity graduates in the reciprocity report 
 to the legislature.  This report must include summary statistics 
 on number of graduates by institution, degree granted and year 
 of graduation, total number of reciprocity students employed in 
 the state, and total earnings of graduates.  


    HIST: 1967 c 615 s 1; 1967 c 866 s 1; 1971 c 161 s 1; 1974 c 
 532 s 1; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1975 c 321 s 2; 1975 c 390 s 3; 1977 c 
 403 s 4,5; 1987 c 258 s 12; 1989 c 293 s 23; 1990 c 591 art 6 s 
 4; 1Sp1993 c 2 art 2 s 5,6; 1995 c 212 art 3 s 16; 2003 c 133 
 art 3 s 2; 2005 c 107 art 2 s 15,16