Thread: Tennessee Senate approves tuition bill for U.S.-born children of undocumented aliens

By Richard Locker
Posted March 24, 2014 at 6:07 p.m.

NASHVILLE — The state Senate on Monday approved and sent to the House a bill allowing U.S.-born children of undocumented aliens who have lived in Tennessee for at least a year to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities.

Earlier in the day, the Senate Education Committee delayed for a year consideration of a companion bill that would allow students who are undocumented themselves to pay in-state tuition rates. Both measures are supported by the business community and immigrant groups.

Senate Bill 2115 won Senate approval on a 20-9 vote and is set for a House floor vote April 7. It permits a student at a state college or university to be charged in-state tuition if the student is a U.S. citizen, has lived in Tennessee for at least one year and graduated from a Tennessee high school or earned a Tennessee high school equivalency diploma, regardless of the immigration status of his or her parents.

It generated a lively exchange on the Senate floor between a pair of Republicans on opposing sides of the measure. Sen. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, argued vigorously that the bill would give children of illegal immigrants benefits that children of legal residents of another state would not have.

“I’m not in agreement that they are U.S. citizens,” Campfield said, despite the 14th Amendment’s guarantee that “All persons born or naturalized in the Unites States ... are citizens of the United States and of the state” where they reside.

Campfield argued that children of illegal immigrants “should not benefit from their parents’ crime,” and said the bill is like allowing the children of bank robbers to keep stolen cash.

“Your logic is difficult to follow,” said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga. “Are you saying we should punish the child for the parent’s crime?”

Fourteen Republicans and six Democrats voted for the bill while all nine "no" votes were Republicans. West Tennesseans who voted for the bill were Sens. Lowe Finney, D-Jackson; Dolores Gresham, R-Somerville; Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown; Mark Norris, R-Collierville; and Reginald Tate, D-Memphis. Sen. Ophelia Ford, D-Memphis, did not vote.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news...ill-for-us-of/

Originally Posted by Jean

By Richard Locker
Posted March 24, 2014 at 6:07 p.m.

NASHVILLE — The state Senate on Monday approved and sent to the House a bill allowing U.S.-born children of undocumented aliens who have lived in Tennessee for at least a year to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities.

Earlier in the day, the Senate Education Committee delayed for a year consideration of a companion bill that would allow students who are undocumented themselves to pay in-state tuition rates. Both measures are supported by the business community and immigrant groups.

Senate Bill 2115 won Senate approval on a 20-9 vote and is set for a House floor vote April 7. It permits a student at a state college or university to be charged in-state tuition if the student is a U.S. citizen, has lived in Tennessee for at least one year and graduated from a Tennessee high school or earned a Tennessee high school equivalency diploma, regardless of the immigration status of his or her parents.

It generated a lively exchange on the Senate floor between a pair of Republicans on opposing sides of the measure. Sen. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, argued vigorously that the bill would give children of illegal immigrants benefits that children of legal residents of another state would not have.

“I’m not in agreement that they are U.S. citizens,” Campfield said, despite the 14th Amendment’s guarantee that “All persons born or naturalized in the Unites States ... are citizens of the United States and of the state” where they reside.

Campfield argued that children of illegal immigrants “should not benefit from their parents’ crime,” and said the bill is like allowing the children of bank robbers to keep stolen cash.

“Your logic is difficult to follow,” said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga. “Are you saying we should punish the child for the parent’s crime?”

Fourteen Republicans and six Democrats voted for the bill while all nine "no" votes were Republicans. West Tennesseans who voted for the bill were Sens. Lowe Finney, D-Jackson; Dolores Gresham, R-Somerville; Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown; Mark Norris, R-Collierville; and Reginald Tate, D-Memphis. Sen. Ophelia Ford, D-Memphis, did not vote.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news...ill-for-us-of/

To TENNESSEE - SENATE
YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER THEY ARE NOT CITIZEN . YET YOU APPROVES- OF TUITION
WAKE UP . WHAT HAPPEN TO THE USA KIDS ( WELL THE PARENTS NEW WHAT THEY ARE DOING
SO DON'T COME & TELL US HOW ABOUT THE US COME TO THE FLOOR & TELL YOU SENATE WHAT WE THINK)

who have lived in Tennessee for at least a year to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities.

That's not enough time to become fluent or even speak English if they don't know it. What's next ESL classes at colleges?

The Rino Republican Senator from Chattanooga, Todd Gardenhire, won a Democrat seat and decided that he needed to represent the thousands of illegal aliens in that district. He sold out the state of Tennessee and the real voters, American citizens.

Why did they do it. The Republicans redrew the district so they could have another seat and Gardenhire decided to turn Democrat to appease the illegal aliens and others seeking amnesty. The question I ask of them is what will happen when the Hispanic democrat runs against him.

Another Rino gives another magnet to illegal aliens.