In anticipation of an influx of new workers because of military base closings elsewhere, the Washington Post reports that Maryland's Board of Regents has decided to waive the 12-month waiting period to qualify for in-state tuition for civil service employees of the armed forces and their families who transfer there. While 46 states have a similar policy for dependents of uniformed military personnel, including civilians is unique. In addition, the Board is considering whether to extend the waiver to contract workers.
A much more far-reaching -- and far-fetched -- change was proposed by a legislator last week in neighboring Pennsylvania. Outgoing state Senator Joe Conti posted a video on his Web site calling for expanding the sales tax to a dozen products and services (such as bottled water, cable TV, dry cleaning and private detectives ) and creating a dedicated funding stream that could be used to reduce Pennsylvania State University's tuition by 60 percent. At $12,000 per year, Penn State has the country's most expensive in-state public university tuition.
Note: This may be the last time I can write about Maryland or PSU without having a vested interest. Both schools are on my son's short list, and applications are due by the end of this month.
