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Gov. Scott OK's In-State Tuition for Illegal Immigrant Students

June 9, 2014 | WMFE, Orlando - Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill into law today that would allow students living in the country illegally to pay in-state tuition for college.

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The new law offers in-state college tuition rates to undocumented students who attended a Florida high school for at least three years before graduation.

Students would also have to apply for enrollment in a college or university within 2 years of graduating, and provide a Florida high school transcript to qualify.

90.7’s political commentator Dick Batchelor says the move is a sign that Gov. Scott is reinventing himself.

“It's just another indication that the Governor is prepared to reinvent himself and move away from the tea party and back towards the middle so he can be appealing in a general election.”

Troy Miller,  senior researcher and policy analyst at the Florida College Access Network, has been following the recent changes to Florida's tuition laws and says though the move was expected, its scope will reach thousands of students statewide.

"There are thousands of students throughout the state attending our high schools who unfortunately haven't considered the prospect of attending higher education in the state because up until this point they would have had to pay out-of-state tuition," says Miller.

"Now with that barrier removed, it'll be a great thing not just for high school students but for children who are younger who have gotten the message that the cost of college is just far too much to pay for and haven't made it a consideration," Miller says.

The in-state college tuition bill had been considered several times before, when it drew strong opposition from many Republicans.

But this year, Scott and other GOP leaders such as House Speaker Will Weatherford backed the bill.

 

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