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Florida Senator Wants To Repeal In-State Tuition For Undocumented Students

Florida Capitol Building in Tallahassee. Source: WikiMedia Commons
Florida Capitol Building in Tallahassee. Source: WikiMedia Commons

A state senator wants to repeal the Florida law that allows undocumented students to pay in-state college tuition rates instead of higher out-of-state rates. That law passed in 2014 with bipartisan support.

The bill filed by Sarasota Republican Senator Greg Steube would repeal the in-state tuition law. The two year-old law guarantees in-state college rates for anyone who has completed the last three consecutive years at a Florida public high school, including undocumented students.

The Orlando Sentinel reports Steube said this was a big issue for his constituents. As of last year, nearly 2,500 students across the state were benefiting from the law.

“So. this is for people who have been here and are planning to stay here and it makes sense because you are providing education to a community that at the end of the day is going to stay in the state of Florida and who are going to help boost the economy,” said Julio Calderon with Florida Immigrant Coalition.

Calderon said the law also applies to students in Florida on visas. Steube's bill would kill the in-state tuition law effective July 1, 2017.