Bill Tracker: HB 3829 v. HB 104 - Residents

Tuition at our state universities is different for in-state students and out-of-state students. In-state “residents” pay less to attend our colleges. This reality is repeated in most states in the United States.

It has also triggered immense gamesmanship by those affected. Students from Oklahoma fill out applications with a Texas grandmother’s address to get “resident” status. Students from Texas use a retired uncle’s home in Scottsdale, Arizona as a staging point for attending Arizona State University. The game has been played so well that legislators have to draft bills to address this situation.

In a head-to-head confrontation, two bills, HB 3829 and HB 104 seek to further alter the playing field with regards to resident status. The catch is that the bills also address illegal immigration. HB 3829 would allow a non-citizen prospective student to apply for resident tuition status if that person presents acceptable proof to the university that the person has submitted to the appropriate federal immigration authority a Declaration of Intention to become a citizen of the United States.

HB 104, authored by Rep. Debbie Riddle, takes a much stronger position and states that “a person who is not lawfully authorized to be present in the United States may not be considered a resident of this state.”

We asked Jon English from Representative Riddle’s office about HB 104. His response was, “Rep. Riddle believes that it's hypocritical to say you're not allowed to come here illegally, and then allow supplements to go to school while using taxpayers' dollars — immigration laws are met or they aren't. She feels it is a just place to say we're not going to give a discount to illegal immigrants to go to school here illegally.”

The debate continues.