Thread: Larkin back at Statehouse pitches immigrant tuition bill (MA

God help the people of MA to defeat this crap! However, it does sound like at least the governer has enough sense to veto this kinda crap (did so last year, when a similar bill passed, and opposes it again).

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/Stories/0 ... 11,00.html

Larkin, back at Statehouse, pitches immigrant tuition bill

By Julie Mehegan
Eagle Boston Bureau

BOSTON -- A key House panel yesterday voted to recommend passage of a bill that would afford students who are not legal residents of the United States the discounted in-state tuition rate at state colleges and universities.

After listening to more than five hours of testimony at a State House hearing, the Ways & Means Committee voted in favor of the bill that would make any student who has attended at least three years of high school in Massachusetts and graduated from a Massachusetts high school eligible for the lower in-state tuition rate, regardless of their immigration status.

Among those who testified in favor of the bill was Peter J. Larkin, who until January represented Pittsfield in the House and is now a lobbyist. Larkin, a Democrat and the former chairman of the Education Committee, said he came to the hearing because of his personal support for the legislation.

Of the eight committee members in the room when the voice vote was taken, only Rep. William Greene, D-Billerica, voted against it. The bill is expected to move to the floor for a vote by the full House.

Supporters say they are optimistic the bill will pass, and they are hopeful it will win the necessary two-thirds majority to override a promised veto by Gov. Mitt Romney.

"I honestly think that as we educate more people, as more legislators understand how important this is to their districts and to the commonwealth, we will get that two-thirds," said Ali Noorani, deputy director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, which is lobbying for passage of the bill.

But others aren't sure. House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi supports the bill, but some are predicting an uphill battle before the full House.

"I think they'll have a tough time on the floor," said Rep. Emile J. Goguen, D-Fitchburg, a member of the committee.

Yesterday's vote came a week after an internal squabble in the House over whether to include the provision in the fiscal 2006 budget.

With the backing of Rep. Marie St. Fleur, D-Boston, herself an immigrant from Haiti, the original House budget included the proposed change. But under pressure from House leaders who did not want to include policy matters in the budget, St. Fleur agreed to pull the section and have the House consider it separately. After yesterday's hearing she declined to predict if the bill has sufficient votes to pass.

"You never know that until it happens on the floor," she said.

With the support of Larkin and others, a similar proposal was included in the final version of last year's budget but was vetoed by Gov. Mitt Romney. The House did not take up an override.

Dozens of people testified on the legislation at yesterday's hearing, including undocumented students who pleaded for a chance to afford college and Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, who expressed the Romney administration's opposition to the change in state law.

Supporters argued the commonwealth has a moral and financial interest in educating every person who lives here.

"We truly have an opportunity to empower many, many people," said Larkin. "Frankly, we should not be about creating artificial barriers to brains and intelligence and the capacity to do more." Like other supporters, Larkin said the children of illegal immigrants had no control over their parents' decision to enter the United States illegally. He also noted that the state has made a significant investment in those children by providing them with a K-12 education in the public schools, a constitutionally protected right.

"Don't suffer the children the sins of the parents," Larkin said.

While fewer in number, opponents said the bill favors people who have flouted the law and would shortchange legal residents. Healey dubbed the bill "well-intentioned but misguided."

"Breaking the law should not entitle you to public benefits," Healey said. "America is a nation of immigrants, but America is also a nation of laws."

Nine states have passed laws similar to the one proposed in Massachusetts, including New York.

Several threads in this forum noted that the NC bill ran into a serious roadblock when it was pointed out that Federal law requires giving in-state tuition to all if you give it to any specific group - or something along those lines. If MA is still part of the U.S., that should work there also

Originally Posted by culion

Several threads in this forum noted that the NC bill ran into a serious roadblock when it was pointed out that Federal law requires giving in-state tuition to all if you give it to any specific group - or something along those lines. If MA is still part of the U.S., that should work there also

Of course it WILL work IF people from MA stand up and be heard. Defeating this kinda crap does NOT happen without citizens voicing opposition.

This web site (especially the admin, ALIPAC aka William Gheen) was and IS a major driving force in squashing this crap bill in NC.

I myself (and a small group of others here in NE), squashed the same "type" of bill earlier this spring. We have killed it for 1 year (2 years hopefully). It was killed in committee. The NC bill had much more support than what we had to fight against. The NC bill had a large number of co-sponsers, and the bill has been agressively attacked, on an on-going basis, and many co-sponsers have dropped off after they "figured out" (you damn well KNOW they knew) what the bill was about.

If ANYONE knows of people in MA, then they MUST be heard. If they do not speak up, then it is VERY likely, the state will pass this sort of awful legislation, and then they will TRUELY feel the grave consequenes (like loosing the ability to HAVE any in-state tuition!!!!)

H.