Plaskett-backed bill would guarantee in-state tuition rates for U.S. territory students
A bipartisan bill backed by V.I. Delegate to Congress Stacey E. Plaskett that would guarantee in-state tuition rates for students from U.S. territories, was approved by the House Education and Workforce Committee and moves to the full House for further consideration.
The measure, passed Thursday, would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require public institutions that receive federal funds to charge eligible residents of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa no more than the in-state tuition rate. Lawmakers argued that out-of-state tuition at public universities is often two to three times higher than in-state rates, a cost difference that disproportionately affects students from territories who must leave home to attend four-year schools.
“I am proud to join Congressman Moylan, Congresswoman Radewagen, Congressman Hernández, and Congresswoman King-Hinds in this critical effort to address a fundamental inequity faced by residents of the U.S. territories,” Plaskett said in a statement.
She added that since her first term she has pushed to expand in-state tuition access for students in the Virgin Islands and pointed to a provision she secured in the Build Back Better Act in 2022 that would have created grants to cover the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition. That provision passed the House but did not become law.
Read more: https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/plaskett-backed-bill-would-guarantee-in-state-tuition-rates-for-u-s-territory-students/article_821d446d-a314-4e07-87f9-0420fb8d4ebf.html