Tuition equality bill headed to full Senate
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee residents who are authorized to be in the United States would be eligible for in-state tuition under legislation headed for a vote in the Senate.
The measure sponsored by Republican Sen. Todd Gardenhire, of Chattanooga, was approved 7-3 in the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday. It will now be scheduled for a vote on the Senate floor.
Under the proposal, students considered lawfully present in the U.S. through a program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals would qualify for in-state tuition.
Currently, such students pay nearly three times as much for higher education – the out-of-state rate – even if they’ve lived in Tennessee for most of their lives.
The House version of Gardenhire’s bill was scheduled to be heard in a House education committee later Tuesday.
