Over 120 organizations send letters in support of Pitt in-state tuition discounts

Over 120 organizations have sent letters to Pennsylvania lawmakers in support of in-state tuition discounts for Pennsylvania students. These organizations include Excela Health, Pitt’s Student Government Board and Pittsburgh Regional Building Trades Council. 

“More than 120 organizations and groups have joined a rising tide of voices advocating for Pitt and urging lawmakers to preserve the in-state tuition discount for Pennsylvania students and families,” according to the With Pitt website. 

As a state-related university in Pennsylvania, Pitt — along with Penn State, Temple and Lincoln — receives funding from the state legislature each year. Both the state House of Representatives and Senate vote on a separate bill outlining the amount of funding each university will receive. 

Pa. House Republicans raised fetal tissue research connected to Pitt as an issue in the 2019 budget cycle, around the same time the Trump administration announced that the federal government would cut back on funding for fetal tissue research. Many are now concerned that both the fetal tissue research and the reversal of Republican gerrymandering will lead House Republicans to vote against the funding bill, ultimately affecting Pitt’s ability to provide in-state tuition discounts. 

Lawmakers plan to vote on the funding bill in June. The bill must receive two-thirds support from both the House and Senate in order to pass.