To our disappointment and dismay, the movement to repeal the tuition tax credit may have met an untimely roadblock in the state House on Tuesday.
But the apparent setback doesn’t come from a lack of support, as the measure was well-received from most legislators and supported by the governor. The Senate has already passed a bill that would end the tax credit and disperse those funds to the state’s universities.
Instead, Rep. Paul DeWeese, R-Williamston, arrived late for a House subcommittee vote on the proposal, and was denied voting privileges.
While the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education vote was 5-2 in support of the bill, it failed because a majority of the committee - six members - must vote in favor of a measure for it to pass. One legislator abstained, one was absent and DeWeese found himself in need of a new watch - although he said he was meeting with a senator at the time.
The tuition tax credit, although a good idea, has failed at its goal, plain and simple. It has not kept tuition increases down to the rate of inflation, and few students - only students at one state university and a few community colleges qualified this year - benefit from it.
As costs at the university level skyrocket, officials struggle to keep costs down and cut the budget anywhere possible. MSU students saw this occur during the summer as President M. Peter McPherson’s renowned tuition guarantee was suspended, raising undergraduate tuition rates 8.9 percent for the 2001-02 school year.
State universities would have received an additional $27.5 million in state aid for the 2002 fiscal year had the repeal passed. Students here would have received a $75 refund for this semester and a $75 tuition reduction in the spring.
Now we have to deal with increased costs, smaller budgets and higher tuition, on top of a smaller than expected state appropriation. Repealing the tax credit would have relieved a lot of this financial tension, but for now, hope for that happening is waning.
But it’s not fair to completely put responsibility on DeWeese’s shoulders for the vote failing. Tuesday’s vote came without warning and Rep. Sandra Caul, R-Mount Pleasant and chairwoman of the subcommittee, refused to accept DeWeese’s vote as he came in late, and the committee failed to agree to a vote again later in the day.
With all the support for the bill, and all the good that repealing the tax credit would accomplish, it is infuriating to see someone allow his or her biases to deny a fair vote.
Our hope now lies in House Appropriations Committee Chairman Mark Schulman, R-West Bloomfield, to do the proper thing and allow a fair vote that will send this measure to the full House.
Lawmakers should not allow this opportunity to repeal the tax credit slip through their fingers. We hope those with the power to save this measure are more inclined to keep students’ interests in mind - and can keep better track of time.
