SECTION 1:

(a) 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.

(b) 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;