Missouri higher education will receive more funding under a tentative budgement agreement discussed Tuesday.
At a budget conference committee meeting, lawmakers agreed to added $1 million in core funding to colleges like University of Central Missouri, Southeast Missouri State University and Lincoln University.
The budget also includes $10 million for the UM Precision Medicine Initiative. In a change from previous years, universities will be able to give in-state tuition to students who are undocumented immigrants.
Senator Jason Holsman supported the change.
“As a former high school teacher, I taught many of them in inner city Kansas City for five years before I became an elected official in the Missouri House. These kids are as American as anybody else without a piece of paper that says so,” says Holsman.
Universities are still prohibited from using state funds to give scholarships to undocumented immigrants. The budget goes to both the House and Senate for one final vote before being sent to the Governor. The deadline to pass the budget is this Friday.