The sponsor of a bill that would require Arizona undergraduate students at the three state universities to contribute at least $2,000 a year toward their education has dropped his pursuit of the legislation because of mounting opposition.

"It was becoming a distraction to members (of the Legislature)," Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said Friday. He has no plans to reintroduce the bill in another form this session or next year, he said.

Last month, the House Appropriations Committee voted 7-6 to approve House Bill 2675 after more than 90 minutes of sometimes- contentious debate between legislators and students.

Kavanagh maintains that providing free university tuition in tough times is bad policy and can have negative consequences, such as higher college-dropout rates.

Athletic and merit scholars would have been exempt from the minimum payment. Kavanagh indicated at the committee hearing that he also was open to excluding some military veterans and students who live on campus, who have higher expenses than those living at home. Kavanagh said Friday that even with those concessions, a lot of misinformation circulated about the bill and created a "toxic" atmosphere.

Students at the three state universities sent e-mails to legislators and also took to Facebook and Twitter to urge opposition to the bill. About 150 students showed up at the state Capitol one day last month to talk to legislators about their concerns.

The governing body for the three state universities, the Arizona Board of Regents, opposes the bill, as does the Arizona Students' Association, a statewide group that represents students at Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.

Dan Fitzgibbon, a UA senior and chairman of the Arizona Students' Association, said he was "absolutely thrilled" to hear that the bill wouldn't be pushed.

"It really goes to show when these types of things come up, students have their voices heard," he said.

Kavanagh decided to introduce the bill earlier this year after listening to testimony in a House committee meeting last year at which ASU President Michael Crow said nearly half of ASU students pay no tuition at all.

Crow was referring to full-time, in-state undergraduates who in the 2009-10 school year received enough money in grants and scholarships to offset the price of tuition.

In last month's committee hearing, Christine Thompson, the regents' vice president of government relations, said the "nearly half" figure in 2009-10 was a one-time "anomaly" because of increased federal grants and that year's tuition rates. Since then, tuition has gone up. The most current figure is closer to 25 percent, she said.

Reach the reporter at 602-444-8072 or anne.ryman@arizonarepublic.com.