Governor signs House Bill 331
Governor Mike Leavitt had until midnight on Tuesday to either sign, not sign or veto Non-resident Tuition for Higher Education House Bill 331.
The governor signed the bill Tuesday and it will go into effect May 6, 2002.
“In a difficult budgetary year, difficult decisions have to be made,” said Steve Palmer, Utah Student Association president. “We recognize that the financial impact of this year’s events will be felt in every corner of the state. However, from our perspective this bill provides little consideration for out-of-state students that currently exist within the system.”
Palmer said he and the other student body presidents from around the state are concerned about the thousands of students who are about to finish their first year and are expecting to qualify for in-state residency.
“Imagine their surprise next year when they realize that in order to attend school they will need to pay double the amount of tuition they had anticipated,” Palmer said. “It’s as if we are putting a sign on the Utah border that reads ‘Out-of-state students not welcome.'”
The bill requires non-resident students to have 60 credits from a Utah college or university before they can apply for resident status.
However, Leavitt said something would probably have to be put into place for students living in Utah already.
The situation will be discussed when the law goes into effect at the beginning of May.