Two dueling bills in the Florida House of Representatives take aim at undocumented immigrant students and their ability to afford a college education one would make university tuition more affordable for students without citizenship, while the other could make higher education prohibitively expensive for them.
House Bill 923 was filed February 10 by Democratic Rep. Marie Paule Woodson, whose district includes parts of Broward County. Woodson s bill would amend Florida statutes to make undocumented students who attend Florida high schools eligible for state financial aid at state colleges and universities.
Right now, under a 2014 law, undocumented students who attend high school in Florida for three consecutive years before graduating are eligible for a waiver of out-of-state tuition, meaning they can pay the same tuition costs as Florida residents. The out-of-state tuition rate at state schools in Florida can be three or four times the rate state residents pay.
Two dueling bills in the Florida House of Representatives take aim at undocumented immigrant students and their ability to afford a college education one would make university tuition more affordable for students without citizenship, while the other could make higher education prohibitively expensive for them.
House Bill 923 was filed February 10 by Democratic Rep. Marie Paule Woodson, whose district includes parts of Broward County. Woodson s bill would amend Florida statutes to make undocumented students who attend Florida high schools eligible for state financial aid at state colleges and universities.
Right now, under a 2014 law, undocumented students who attend high school in Florida for three consecutive years before graduating are eligible for a waiver of out-of-state tuition, meaning they can pay the same tuition costs as Florida residents. The out-of-state tuition rate at state schools in Florida can be three or four times the rate state residents pay.