Advocates criticize DeSantis after veto of bill granting in-state tuition to prisoners

Share
UF higher education university
University of Florida, Gainesville, at dawn. By Seán Kinane/WMNF News (Apr. 2023).

Listen:

Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill last month that would have allowed prisoners to qualify for in-state tuition in public colleges. 

But, supporters of the bill say it’s counterproductive.

Desmond Meade is the executive director of Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. 

It’s an organization that advocates for people who return to their lives after having been to prison.

“I was a person who was previously incarcerated, and part of my journey of rehabilitation, my journey of transformation, was me being able to get an education.”

Democratic state Senator Rosalind Osgood sponsored the bill, which passed unanimously in the Senate. 

It would have ensured that a person, even if they are incarcerated, would remain an in-state resident and benefit from lower tuition rates. 

But DeSantis said in his veto letter that the policy would be rewarding criminal activity.

Meade disagrees.

“If you believe that someone with a felony conviction can be in the White House, can be the President of the United States, the most important job in the world, then you should be supporting policies that allow people to seek gainful employment.”

This is the second time Osgood has filed the bill. 

 

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

You may also like

student meal
Next school year Hillsborough public schools are offering free meals

Hillsborough Public Schools are offering students free meals for the...

Correspondence Through Poetry. A Mind-Numbing Week.

Father Verses Sons: A Correspondence in Poems by Herbert Gold...

The sound of change: Music’s influence on anti-war and human rights movements

Throughout history, music has served as a powerful catalyst for...

a man in a tye dye shirt talking on a radio microphone
Recreational pot for Florida is on the ballot this fall—let’s talk about it

In four months, Florida voters have the opportunity to vote...

Ways to listen

WMNF is listener-supported. That means we don't advertise like a commercial station, and we're not part of a university.

Ways to support

WMNF volunteers have fun providing a variety of needed services to keep your community radio station alive and kickin'.

Follow us on Instagram

Sloughbirn
Player position: