Florida Governor Rick Scott Signs Bill Granting In-State Tuition to Some Undocumented Immigrants
On Monday, June 9, Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill granting in-state tuition to some illegal immigrants studying at public institutions in Florida. The legislation (HB 851) will grant in-state tuition to undocumented students who attended at least three years of secondary school in Florida. The bill will also limit the ability of universities to increase tuition without legislative approval. Previously, former Governor Charlie Crist’s differential tuition law allowed the Board of Governors to approve tuition increases up to 15 percent at Florida’s public universities. Now only The University of Florida and Florida State University may increase tuition with a cap of six percent a year.
The legislation rolls out just in time for the 2014 election, in which the Hispanic vote is expected to be very influential. The bill also seems contradicts some of Gov. Scott’s previous legislative decisions concerning immigration. In 2010, Scott promised to crack down on illegal immigration. Just last year he voted against an act that would grant driver’s licenses to some undocumented immigrants. Gov. Scott did not miss the opportunity to slam his likely opponent in the 2014 election, Charlie Crist, in his campaign statements regarding the bill. According to Scott’s campaign ad, Crist’s differential tuition increases have been totally reversed. The ad does not mention that pre-existing tuition increases will remain in place.
Regarding university tuition and undocumented students, Gov. Scott is not the only Floridian official to experience a change of heart so close to election time; Charlie Crist, though he officially welcomes the signing of the bill, opposed granting in-state tuition to undocumented students in the past. Regardless of Scott and Crist’s legislative inconsistency, the HB 851 is good news for undocumented Floridian students who may now qualify for in-state tuition.
http://flcourier.com/2014/06/12/scott-signs-immigration-tuition-bill/
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