The average Minnesota college student graduates with nearly $31,000 debt, one of the highest rates in the nation.

Yet, the Republican controlled Minnesota House passed a bill this week that would nearly guarantee tuition increases for thousands of students.

The House Republican Higher Education Bill leaves the University of Minnesota out in the cold, keeping their funding flat (which means no tuition freeze) regardless of a $2 billion surplus.

Minnesotans are all too familiar with the impact rising tuition costs have on students and families.

Millennials paying 10 percent of their monthly income on students loans have a 22 percent lower home ownership rate than their classmates. Chairman of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen says this debt is likely dragging down the economy as young people wait to start living their lives, buying homes, getting married or starting a family.

Minnesota House Republicans are once again prioritizing tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy instead of affordable higher education for middle class families. Republicans committed up to $1 billion in tax breaks, which pales in comparison to the $157 million increase they passed for higher education.

An affordable college education for Minnesota students is more important than more breaks for corporate special interests. Minnesota students deserve our support to help alleviate student loan debt.