Inter Faculty Organization
2009 Legislative Goals

Budget Related Goals:

1. If federal dollars are available for infrastructure improvements, support using the money for HEAPR Projects.
   
2. Support federal legislation to bail out state governments, and use the money to reduce cuts to higher education. Support a line item legislative appropriation for the allocations directly to MnSCU institutions for campus level activities, and a separate line item appropriation to the MnSCU central office for system level activities.  
3. If the state has “one-time” money available, support an appropriation of one-time money to offer early retirement incentives to faculty. The goal would be to turn over high cost senior faculty and save the jobs of newer, lower cost faculty members.
4. Set the cost of MnSCU customized training programs to recover the full direct and indirect cost of instruction from employers.  
5. If there is a budget shortfall next session, any cuts that state legislature makes to the MnSCU budget should come from the budget of the MnSCU central office, in particular the technology allocation, with no charge backs to the campuses.
6. Support a financial and performance audit, by the Office of the Legislative Auditor, of MnSCU’s on-line education programs and other technology initiatives, taking into account both direct and indirect costs, to determine their cost effectiveness.
7. Support a change to the tax structure so that Minnesotans earning over $105,000 pay a higher percentage of Minnesota state and local taxes than those earning less than $105,000.
8. Advocate that the state budget shortfall be resolved through revenue increases first, then cutbacks and cost shifting second. 

Employee Benefits

9. Support legislation that would require the state to provide spousal benefits to same and opposite sex domestic partners of state employees.

• Legislation that would require the state to provide health insurance coverage and tuition waiver benefits for domestic partners of state employees. 
• Legislation that would provide long term care coverage, and pension and retirement benefits to employees and their domestic partners and dependents, consistent with coverage and benefits provided to employees and their spouses and dependents.

10. Support legislation that would require the state to pay health insurance premiums for the duration of employer-approved medical and parental leaves of absence. 
11. Support legislation that would require MnSCU to pay retirement contributions at the same amounts as would be paid had the faculty member been employed full-time for employees who need a reduced work load because of a disability.
12. Support legislation to require health insurance plans to cover all in-home dependents on their parent’s health plan until they reach age 25. 
13. Support legislation to allow IRAP members to switch to TRA upon attainment of tenure, provided such a change would not have an adverse impact on TRA funding.

Policy Issues

14. Support on-line education based on student demand—not an artificial goal.   Support quality controls on on-line education.
15. Support revision of the 60/120 credit cap legislation to expand program length credit waivers to address “unique challenges” as defined by the MnSCU credit cap task force. 
16. Support legislation to clarify that for purposes of M. S. 179A.03, Subd. 14(k) the term “year” includes periods outside the fall and spring semester.
17. Support legislation to amend Minn. Stat. Sec. 13.32, Subd. 1(a) to amend the definition of educational data 1) to clarify that the current exclusion for personal instructional records covered electronically stored personal notes, and 2) to allow such personal instructional records to be retained beyond the end of the school year. 
18. Support legislation to amend Minn. Stat. 179A. 03, Subd. 14(g) to reflect the MnSCU schedule change from quarters to semesters.
19. Support legislation to amend state law: 1) to require the state payroll system to accommodate authorizations from public employees for payroll dues deductions for multiple exclusive representatives in cases where the employee works in multiple units; and 2) to clarify that employers are required to deduct fair share fees from the pay of non union member employees for all bargaining units in which they are included in the unit.    
20. Support the DREAM Act.

Financial Aid

21. Support a state loan forgiveness program for all graduates residing in Minnesota for up to five years.
22. Oppose raising the cap on state grants.
23. Support using the financial windfall to the State of Minnesota from the Pell Grant increase to reduce the size of the budget cuts being proposed for the U of M and MnSCU.