OUR VIEW: House Bill 331 needs to go

Ever since its passage in 2002, House Bill 331 has been inflicting financial and even educational damage on Utah’s universities.

Not only has changing residency requirements from 30 credits to 60 failed to bring in the $5 million it was supposed to by increasing the time non-resident students pay out of state prices, state schools near borders are actually losing money.

Utah State University has already lost $2.8 million in tuition from non-resident students deterred by HB 331.

Legislators greatly miscalculated how many non-resident students would be willing to stay in Utah colleges for an extra year to obtain residency.

The timing of the two-year Ricks College becoming the four-year BYU-Idaho was only another blow to the already doomed bill. USU has lost 400 students from Idaho since the bill has been enacted.

Student leaders should be commended for identifying the repeal of HB 331 as a top priority for USU lobbying efforts. Students, realizing the absence of out-of-state students hurts their own education, should put pressure on their representatives. And Legislators should realize their mistake and remedy it as quickly as possible.

Although first intended to help state schools find additional funding, the bill has only made budgets tighter. It’s time for HB 331 to go.