HB 19A revises Florida’s law governing postsecondary out-of-state fee waivers. The bill removes the current statutory language that expressly allows certain students, including students who are undocumented for federal immigration purposes, to receive an out-of-state fee waiver if they attended a Florida secondary school for three consecutive years, graduated from a Florida high school, and enroll within 24 months. The remaining structure of the waiver program is not shown in the bill text provided, but the stated purpose is to delete those provisions from section 1009.26, Florida Statutes.
As drafted, the bill would eliminate this specific waiver pathway from state law and thereby narrow access to reduced tuition for the affected group of students at state universities, Florida College System institutions, career centers, and charter technical career centers. It also retains the bill’s severability clause and sets an effective date of July 1, 2025.
Impact
The bill would amend section 1009.26, Florida Statutes, by striking the subsection that authorizes out-of-state fee waivers for certain Florida high school graduates, including undocumented students, and by removing the related reporting and tuition-treatment provisions tied to that waiver category. If enacted, institutions would no longer be required under this subsection to waive nonresident fees for those students, and affected students would lose eligibility for this specific tuition benefit. The change would affect admissions and tuition administration at state universities, Florida College System institutions, district career centers, and charter technical career centers, while also altering how those students are counted and reported for tuition and enrollment purposes under the existing framework.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, support, or opposition in the materials supplied. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to be a restrictive change to an existing tuition-waiver policy, which typically makes it a politically sensitive issue. The absence of voting history prevents a reliable assessment of legislative momentum or bipartisan support.
Contention
The main point of contention is the removal of tuition relief for students who are undocumented for federal immigration purposes and other similarly situated Florida high school graduates. Supporters of the existing waiver policy would likely view the bill as reducing access to higher education and increasing costs for long-time Florida students, while opponents of the waiver would likely support the bill as limiting a benefit they may see as inappropriate for nonresidents or undocumented students. A secondary issue is the effect on institutional reporting and enrollment classifications, since the bill would eliminate the specific statutory treatment of these students under the waiver program.