Regents are going to ask the governor to think twice before signing House Bill 331.
During the Legislative Session the House and Senate approved the legislation because fiscal analysts believed the change would create millions for higher education, but Regents question whether the bill will benefit or damage the state’s colleges and universities.
Regents plan to meet with Gov. Mike Leavitt this week to discuss the bill’s impact on higher education before he signs the legislation?making it law.
Under the new legislation, students need a minimum of 60 credit hours to apply for state residency. Previously, students were required to simply live in the state for a year before being considered a resident.
State fiscal analysts have calculated the change will generate $5 million for higher education?a substantial amount in a year of heavy budget cuts, said House Speaker Marty Stephens, R Salt Lake. He called the estimate “conservative” with the possibility of creating even more money for the state institutions.
But everyone is not as optimistic about the bill as Stephens is.
“We fear that [HB331] could be a loss. We hope it is a gain,” said Cecelia Foxely, commissioner of higher education.
Foxely feels the bill may discourage out-of-state students from attending Utah’s schools, leading to less money coming to institutions through tuition.
Others, like Regent David Grant, have different concerns.
Grant, who lead a study on the bill at the Regents meeting in St. George Friday, feels that the bill might make the state “look bad,” because students who began their studies last year with the intent of gaining residency this year will now be unable to do so.
“Perhaps we can adopt the legislation for incoming freshman but provide a clause that would not hold students who are already enrolled to the increase,” Grant said.
Regent Co-Chair Charlie Johnson questioned whether or not the bill has possible legal complications because material printed and distributed to out of-state students stated residency can be received in one year’s time.
“We are asking the governor to explore the bill and find out what other implications it may have,” Johnson said.
U lobbyist Nancy Lyon said that the question in the approved legislation is the result of lawmakers making “dramatic changes without a lot of discussion.”
“It was a difficult budget year. A lot of important decisions were made very quickly. Let’s just hope this turns out to be the best decision for our state’s institutions in the long run,” she said.
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