House adopts first substitute for bill repealing nonresident tuition waiver after heated debate

Representative Michael J. Wimmer opened debate on House Bill 191 on Feb. 24, describing the measure as a repeal of an existing in‑state tuition subsidy for certain noncitizen students and citing the bill’s fiscal note: “If you look at the fiscal note on this particular bill ... institutions could collect up to $7,800,000” and, after deducting current payments, “that leaves us with a $5,500,000 subsidy” to taxpayers. He told colleagues the change is primarily a tax‑policy issue and urged support for repeal.

The bill’s floor debate became one of the day’s most contested items. Opponents challenged the fiscal assumptions and framed the issue as a matter of fairness and long‑term investment in students. A member arguing against repeal said the projection that students could simply be replaced by out‑of‑state tuition‑payers “is most notably flawed” and presented jurisdictional data and a cost‑benefit extrapolation suggesting the roughly 640 noncitizen students contribute to state coffers…