HB123 Alabama 2013 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Jamie Ison

Republican

Co-Sponsors

Chad FincherJim McClendonMac McCutcheonDavid SessionsAlan BakerRandy DavisSteve McMillanMary MooreJim BartonDan WilliamsLynn GreerRod ScottMike HubbardJay LoveMary Sue McClurkinVictor GastonEd HenryElaine BeechTerri CollinsBecky Nordgren

Session

Regular Session 2013

Title

Higher Education, colleges and universities and postsecondary education, institutions authorized to charge resident tuition for nonresident distance learning, Secs. 16-64-2, 16-64-4 am'd.

Summary

HB123 expands who qualifies as a resident student for tuition and allows distance-learning tuition to be set by colleges and the Chancellor.

What This Bill Does

The bill broadens resident status to include more categories such as full-time institutional employees or spouses, in-state employment, active-duty Alabama military, graduate assistants, consular staff, participants in interstate college programs, and those who maintain continuous resident status. It also allows minor students to qualify as residents through a qualifying adult. It lets four-year institutions set distance-learning tuition for students outside Alabama, and lets the Chancellor set distance-learning rates for two-year institutions. It maintains the rule that nonresident undergraduates pay at least twice the resident rate, and nonresident graduates pay at least the undergraduate nonresident rate, and it extends resident tuition eligibility to nearby counties within 50 miles of a campus for eligible institutions. The act becomes effective on the first day of the third month after passage.

Who It Affects

• Public colleges and universities in Alabama and their students, because residency rules and nearby-campus tuition extensions expand who can pay resident rates and who can be charged different rates for distance learning.
• Distance-learning and nonresident students, because the bill allows institutions to set or adjust distance-learning tuition rates and requires certain minimums for nonresident tuition.

Key Provisions

• Expands resident-student criteria in 16-64-2 to include: full-time institution employees or spouses, in-state employment with 90-day start window, active-duty Alabama-based military, graduate assistants, accredited consular staff, and participation in interstate college consortia with reciprocal or uniform tuition arrangements.
• Adds a provision for minor students to qualify as residents through a qualifying supervising person meeting the same criteria.
• Allows four-year public institutions to extend resident tuition to students living within 50 miles of a campus (campus must be operating as of Jan 1, 1996); similar extension for two-year institutions via the State Board of Education.
• Maintains the rule that nonresident undergraduates pay at least twice the resident rate, and that nonresident graduates pay at least the undergraduate nonresident rate.
• Gives four-year institutions the authority to set distance-learning tuition for programs delivered outside the state; gives the Chancellor for two-year institutions the authority to set distance-learning tuition rates.
• Effective date: the act becomes law on the first day of the third month after passage.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Colleges and Universities