The Associated Press report said that a landmark bill that would allow students who have entered the US illegally to qualify for in-state college tuition rates had split the Florida Senate. The vote to approve the bill was reportedly unexpected, considering that the Republican-controlled state Senate has killed the proposed bill many times in the last several years. The bill will be put into law as soon as Florida Governor Rick Scott, who had publicly endorsed the bill in the last several weeks, inks in his signature.
Shortly after the passing of the bill in the state Senate, Scott said, "It's an exciting day for every student that dreams of a college education. This is a historic day. Children who grow up in this state now get the same tuition as their peers."
According to the bill, students who had gained entrance in the US illegally could pay the same tuition rate just like any other Florida resident for a minimum of three years before graduating. The current in-state tuition rate being offered is at a 75% discount compared to tuition paid by out-of-state students aside from illegal entrant-students.
The measure, dubbed as House Bill 851, will also curb the ability of state universities to increase tuition rates above the recommended rates set by the Legislature annually.
AP said that the 26-13 vote in favor of HB851 had followed a long debate, which heard senators in favor of the bill read quotes from Langston Hughes, Aristotle and even Walt Disney. State senate supporters argued that it was wrong to deny education benefits to children who has been brought by their parents in the country via illegal means.
State senators from the GOP said that the potential cost, which is at $50 million once fully implemented, is huge and insisted that the state should not award people who had broken the law.
Senator Aaron Bean of Fernandina Beach said, "I know it feels good giving benefits away. We are giving so many benefits to non-citizens....Does it matter even being an American citizen anymore?"
