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Delegate Pasteur asks committee to shorten residency requirement for undocumented students' in-state tuition (HB 207)
Summary
Delegate Cheryl Pasteur told the Appropriations Committee House Bill 207 would lower the tax‑filing residency requirement for undocumented students to qualify for in‑state tuition from three years to two, arguing small fiscal impact and greater access to higher education.
Delegate Cheryl Pasteur presented House Bill 207 to the Appropriations Committee, asking members to reduce the residency requirement for undocumented students to qualify for in‑state tuition under the Maryland Dream Act from three years to two.
Pasteur said the change would align Maryland with Virginia’s two‑year requirement and that the fiscal note estimates minimal state spending while allowing institutions to collect additional tuition from increased enrollments. She framed the bill as a way to reduce the out‑of‑state tuition burden on undocumented students who currently pay significantly higher rates.
Pasteur described a personal connection to the issue: she said a community member whose family she knows was affected by the Key Bridge collapse last year and that the state made money available so survivors’ children could attend community college; she used that example to argue the state can find resources for students in need. She asked the committee to pass the bill and lead the Senate in doing the same. No committee questions were recorded during the presentation.
