LETTER: Why was HB331 signed at all

Dear Editor,

Regarding House Bill 331, “Non-resident Tuition for Higher Education,” the governor has written a letter asking the Legislature to reconsider the bill during a special session to be held in May.

Our own Associated Students of Utah State University president wrote concerning this “It may be in your (and our) best interest to be patient for a few months.”

While I applaud Steve Palmer’s efforts on our behalf, his writing was overly optimistic and naive. Have we forgotten that the governor still signed the bill? He and the Legislature can reconsider all they want, but if he really thought there was a problem with the bill then he should not have signed it. What kind of governor signs a bill into law that he already wants reconsidered?

This letter asking for reconsideration of the bill smacks of a politician trying to recover lost support. By May most students have signed housing contracts for the fall. They have already arranged for summer work, and if they are going to transfer to another school, the bulk of paperwork must already be completed. Apparently the governor has decided that many students’ educational plans must hang in limbo for the important decision-making months.

Palmer also wrote “It means the Legislature realizes they made a mistake.”

When a special session of the Legislature is called by the governor, the Legislature does not get to choose whether or not to comply. Unless the letter was co-signed by the entire State Legislature, there is no evidence to support such a conclusion.

Again, Palmer’s efforts on behalf of USU students have been extraordinary. I appreciate his organization of the students for the rally and his pledge to call every state attitude as a sign that all will be well.

There is much work to be done before the fates of 12,000 out-of-state students’ education should be handed to a Legislature that couldn’t care less about them.

Ricky Fielding