Florida Is Set to Approve Bill Giving Some Immigrants a Tuition Break

Florida is poised to join the growing list of states that allow students who were brought into the United States illegally as children to qualify for lower in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities, according to reports by The Miami Herald and The New York Times.

On Thursday the State Senate approved an amended version of a bill that has previously passed the House of Representatives and that Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, supports. The House will have to approve the Senate’s changes in the bill, but a legislative leader said the new language in the bill is unlikely to hurt its chances in the lower chamber. Rep. Will Weatherford, a Republican who is speaker of the House, said he expected approval would come early Friday, the last day of the legislative session.

Only young adults who attended a Florida high school for at least three years would qualify. The Senate estimates about 1,300 students would be eligible annually.