Maryland legislature dragging feet on immigration bills
March 3, 4:31 PM ·

The Maryland Senate has a bill to lower tuition for college students, who are in this country illegally, whose parents or guardians are taxpayers. S.B. 41 would offer in-state tuition to college students who attended state schools for two previous years, if their parents pay taxes and the students apply for permanent residency when applicable.

The bill was introduced by Sen. David Harrington (D-Prince George’s); it has been sent to the Senate Budget and Taxation’s Health, Education, and Human Resources Subcommittee. A hearing is scheduled March 17.
The Maryland Association of Community Colleges has historically supported this concept; the bill has repeatedly been defeated in earlier legislative sessions and probably will face a similar fate this year. A companion bill, H.B. 612, was heard before the House Ways and Means Committee Tuesday. That bill is sponsored by Ways and Means Chair Sheila Hixson (D-Montgomery).

The bill, and H.B. 612, is for all public institutions of higher learning not just community colleges.

On another front a group of Democrats have introduced H.B. 659, which would purportedly ensure that a federally compliant ID card be issued that complies with the Federal Real ID Act of 2005. Yet a larger group of lawmakers introduced H.B. 742 to do the same thing.

Of course a bipartisan H.B. 195 does the same thing. See http://feed.examiner.com/examiner/admin ... &id=102447 for a refresher. The bills have one thing in common: No senate support. [Note: to access this reference you evidentally already must be registered with the Examiner.]

http://www.examiner.com/x-3150-DC-Immig ... tion-bills