Sen. Terri Bonoff to Chair Senate Higher Education Division

The following was released by the office of Senate Majority Leader-designate Tom Bakk:

Senate Majority Leader-designate Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) recently announced the Minnesota Senate committee structure for the upcoming legislative session, naming Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka) to chair the Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance Division.

“I am confident that Sen. Bonoff is an excellent choice to chair this important division,” Bakk said. “Her skills, expertise and years of experience will guide her in helping to position Minnesota as a leader in higher education and workforce training.”

The Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance Division will oversee policy and funding decisions for Minnesota’s public and private institutions of higher education and workforce development. The committee will meet twice a week during the upcoming legislative session to consider and approve legislation on a variety of higher education policy and budget matters.

Sen. Bonoff said she is honored by the tremendous responsibility of overseeing the state’s budget for our colleges, universities and workforce training programs, which she views as one of the engines of Minnesota’s economy.

“I truly believe our future depends on the young people of today,” said Bonoff. “We have great challenges and even greater opportunities—we must remove obstacles that prevent our youth from having access to post-secondary education and make certain that we are equipping them to be our future leaders.”

The 2013 Legislative Session is scheduled to convene at 12 p.m., on Tuesday, Jan. 8, at which time the Senate’s newly selected leadership and committee chairs will officially assume their roles in the Minnesota Senate.

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