Looney Applauds Approval of In-State Tuition Bill by Legislative Committee

Senate Majority Leader: “Bill Would Help Develop State Workforce Without Cost To Taxpayers”

Hartford: Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney (D-New Haven / Hamden) says today’s approval of House Bill 6390, “An Act Concerning Post Secondary Education,” by the General Assembly’s Higher Education Committee is a significant step forward for the important legislation.

The bill would allow all state residents and graduates of Connecticut high schools to attend community colleges and state universities at the in-state tuition rate regardless of their immigration status.

“The students who would benefit from this law aren’t asking for a handout or any special break; they simply want to be treated the same as their neighbors and friends,” said Senator Looney. “Forcing these students to suffer for a decision their parents made very long ago doesn’t make sense.”

A similar bill was passed by the General Assembly in 2007 but vetoed by the governor. At the time, the non-partisan Office of Legislative Analysis said it wasn’t clear the bill had any cost and it could actually result in a revenue gain for the state “if additional students chose to attend school as a result of lower tuition rates.”

Currently, Connecticut residents pay approximately one third of the “out of state” tuition rate charged to non-Connecticut residents and to Connecticut students who do not have U.S. citizenship. Nearly 10 other states, including Texas and California, have already passed bills allowing for in-state tuition for all their residents.