Topeka ? A bill that would let immigrant students pay in-state tuition at Kansas public colleges and universities won House approval Thursday.

The measure, sent to the Senate on an 81-43 vote, would let noncitizen students pay the cheaper tuition if they attended at least three years at an accredited Kansas high school.

Such students must also have graduated from an accredited high school or earned a General Educational Development certificate in Kansas, and meet college acceptance requirements.

“Many of the students we’re talking about here have lived in the United States all their lives,” said Rep. Sue Storm, D-Overland Park.

Storm said the tuition bill would help the state educate Hispanics who may have come from Mexico with their parents. Many of those students currently don’t go to college, she said.

Proponents characterized the bill as an economic development initiative, giving the state’s residents wider access to affordable education and training.

Also Thursday, the House tentatively approved a bill allowing illegal immigrants to earn temporary resident driver’s licenses. The measure, given first-round approval on a 67-47 vote, would require immigrants to show proof of Kansas residency and meet all other driver’s license requirements.