STEM Bill Fails In ND Senate

A bill to give North Dakota's STEM students a break on tuition their senior year fell short Friday in the State Senate.

The Fargo Forum reports Senate Bill 2334 received a 6-1 “do not pass” recommendation from the Senate Education committee. The bill failed on the Senate floor Friday afternoon, 39-7 with one person not voting.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Curt Kreun, R-Grand Forks, would have created a senior year tuition waiver program for students majoring in a field of science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

Students would earn their senior year of tuition free only if they remained employed in North Dakota for at least three years after graduation.

UND Student Body President Erik Hanson, who had helped Mr. Kreun craft the bill, said the state is in need of people in "STEM" fields to fill vital jobs in the state.

A similar bill proposed last month in the House fell short 81-11.

[Source: Fargo Forum]