BUZZ
Americans from out of state still would have to pay higher tuition price
Anyone who has lived in Pennsylvania for at least 12 months “regardless of immigration status” would be eligible for in-state tuition under a new bill.
Introduced by state Rep. Greg Scott, D-Conshohocken, House Bill 1762 would include illegal immigrants among those eligible for the lower cost tuition price at public colleges and universities, Campus Reform reports. Last week, the bill was referred to the House Education Committee for consideration.
Scott described the current in-state tuition law as “exclusionary” in a co-sponsorship memo with state Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz, D-Wyomissing.
“Currently, Pennsylvania regulations require that those who have lived in the Commonwealth for at least 12 months are eligible for in-state tuition; however, there are exceptions, such as a student’s visa status, that prevent them from receiving in-state tuition,” he stated.
According to the memo, students paying the out-of-state cost can pay up to twice as much in tuition, or an average of $20,000 per year.
“Therefore, our exclusionary laws and the cost of out-of-state tuition can make it difficult for the estimated 4,000 undocumented students who graduate from Pennsylvania high schools each year to exercise their basic right to education, even if they have lived here their whole life,” Scott stated.
He said his In-State Tuition Fairness Act will allow anyone who has been a resident of Pennsylvania for at least 12 months to qualify for in-state tuition, “regardless of immigration status.”
The measure is being met with pushback by some Republicans, according to Campus Reform:
State Rep. Josh Kail, a life-long Pennsylvania resident, has expressed skepticism about the bill, especially regarding its possible application to illegal immigrants.
In comments made to Campus Reform, Kail stated that the provision would be “a detriment to the system.”
”We don’t want to offer incentives for people to break the law,” he said. “We want our immigration system to be done in the appropriate way” and “we need to know who’s coming into the country.”
But Scott said in the memo that the legislation will help remedy a “severe workforce crisis” by providing greater educational opportunities to more Pennsylvanians.
He said 24 states and the District of Colombia already have similar laws in place.
However, some of these states are now facing lawsuits.
As The College Fix recently reported, President Donald Trump and the Department of Justice have sued Texas, Kentucky, and Minnesota for giving tuition breaks to in-state illegal immigrants while charging higher rates to Americans from other states.
MORE: DOJ sues Minnesota for favoring illegal immigrants over American students
IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: A statue of the Nittany Lion mascot appears on the Penn State University campus; K. Jensen/Shutterstock
