residency (HB 331)
Tyler Nicholes520-15-2929797-6667tylern@cc.usu.edu
Residency Laws are not Lenient in Utah
In the January 17, 2003 issue of The Statesman, Alex Earl’s letter to the editor titled “Get the Facts Right” addressed the issue of HB 331 and how there is too much crap about it. Alex you need to listen to your own advice and get your own facts right. You wrote, “Utah has one of the most lenient residency laws in the western United States.” Which United States are you talking about? Oregon requires an established domicile for 12 months, California requires that you establish your continuous presence in California for more than a year; Washington requires that you physically reside in the state of Washington for 12 months, and Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado all require that you live in the state for 12 months. None of them mention anything about having to have graduated from high school in that state in order to get residency. Utah’s residency law is by far stricter than those above. In August of 2001 my wife and I moved here with the intention of gaining residency within a year. We did and have continued to do the things residents do. We pay our state taxes; we have registered our vehicle; we are registered to vote; my wife works 40 hours a week, and I work an average of over 30 hours a week, but we are not considered residents for tuition purpose. In all the states mentioned above I would have already met their residency laws, but I haven’t met Utah’s residency requirements. I guess the reason I have not met those requirements is because Utah’s law is just too lenient.Tyler Nicholes