HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1923        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1054

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

James J. Lyons, Jr.

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to in-state tuition fairness.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1923        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1054

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 1073 OF 2013-2014.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

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An Act relative to in-state tuition fairness.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1:

Section 9 of chapter 15A of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph:—

Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, for the purpose of determining eligibility for in-state tuition rates and fees at public institutions of higher education, in the case of an individual who is not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States as those terms are defined under federal immigration law, the individual shall not be eligible for in-state tuition.

SECTION 2:

Subsection (t) of Section 9 of chapter 15A of the General Laws is hereby further amended striking out subsection (t), and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:—

(t) issue regulations defining resident of the commonwealth and proof of the same for the purpose of admission and tuition expenses of public institutions of higher education and prepare uniform proofs of residence to be used by all public institutions; provided, however, for the purposes of this clause, a resident of the commonwealth shall also be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, as provided in section 1621 of Title 8 of the United States Code; provided further, that insofar as the Massachusetts Maritime Academy is designated a regional maritime academy by the United States maritime administration, residents of the states comprising the designated region and attending the Massachusetts Maritime Academy shall be considered Massachusetts residents for the purposes of admission and tuition;