Purpose

This bill would provide a one-time funding action to extend hospital, medical, and dental benefits to eligible part-time or adjunct faculty at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Specifically, it targets adjuncts who teach six or more credits in an academic year and who do not currently receive these benefits. The goal is to establish coverage for these faculty and to gather data to help estimate ongoing costs in the future.

Main Provisions

• Appropriation: A general fund amount is appropriated in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to the Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities to provide hospital medical and dental benefits to eligible part-time or adjunct faculty.
• Eligibility: Coverage would apply to part-time or adjunct faculty who teach six or more credits in an academic year and who are not already offered hospital medical and dental benefits.
• One-time nature: The appropriation is designated as a one-time funding action.
• Data collection: The appropriation includes funding to collect data on participation to support a more accurate ongoing cost estimate for the coverage.

Reporting and Oversight

• Reporting requirement: The Board of Trustees must prepare and submit a report, including participation data and estimates of ongoing costs, to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with primary jurisdiction over higher education.
• Due date: The report must be provided by November 1, 2027.

Implementation and Fiscal Impact

• Implementing entity: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (Board of Trustees) would administer the new benefits for eligible faculty.
• Fiscal impact: The bill provides a one-time general fund appropriation for FY2026 and FY2027 to establish the benefits and collect data, with ongoing cost estimates to be determined in the required report.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• The excerpt indicates a new funding initiative to provide benefits (hospital, medical, and dental) to a specific group of part-time faculty who previously did not receive these benefits. The text provided does not show explicit statutory amendments, but the measure expands benefits eligibility for adjunct faculty and sets up data-driven ongoing cost estimation.

Relevant Terms - hospital medical and dental benefits coverage - part-time faculty - adjunct faculty - six or more credits - academic year - general fund appropriation - one-time appropriation - Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities - data on participation - ongoing cost - report - November 1, 2027 - chairs and ranking minority members - legislative committees with primary jurisdiction over higher education

Relevant Terms (synonyms / related concepts) - health insurance, medical benefits, dental benefits - eligibility criteria - funding for higher education - oversight and reporting requirements