Florida students whose parents came to the United States illegally will now be allowed to qualify for in-state college tuition rates under a bill signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott on Monday, the Associated Press reported.
The new law, signed privately by Scott, applies to undocumented students who attended a Florida school for at least three years before graduation.
Scott planned to tout the signing at a campaign event scheduled later in the day in Fort Myers.
According to Reuters, the current in-state rate is one-quarter of what out-of-state students and those in the country illegally pay.
Opposition from leading Republicans had blocked earlier efforts to extend in-state tuition rates to undocumented students at public colleges and universities, passing only this spring as party leaders increasingly appeal to Hispanic voters in an election year.
"Signing this historic legislation today will keep tuition low, and allow all students who grew up in Florida to have the same access to affordable higher education," Scott said in a statement. "With this legislation, higher education became more affordable and more accessible to all Floridians."
Scott, a Republican seeking re-election who previously opposed the measure, skirted the issue of illegal immigration in a news release that focused instead on tuition costs.
"The measure also restricts the ability of Florida universities to raise tuition above the rate set each year by legislators," according to the AP. "It repeals a law that allowed universities to raise tuition up to 15 percent a year. Instead it allows two schools - the University of Florida and Florida State University - to raise tuition up to 6 percent without approval by the Florida Legislature."
Although Scott vowed to push tougher anti-immigration measures and voiced opposition to offering the in-state tuition rate to students living in the country illegally during his campaign as governor four years ago, his stance changed during a year when Hispanic voters may prove to be crucial during a tough re-election fight.
