Oregon Senate approves immigrant tuition bill
Oregon Senate approves immigrant tuition bill
Mar 29, 2011 7:00am
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Senate voted Tuesday to allow some illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at Oregon public universities.
The Senate's 18-11 vote sends the measure to the House, where two Republicans and six Democrats have already signed onto it.
Supporters cheered the vote, saying the Senate's approval gets them one step closer to a long-sought goal.
"It's within reach," said Orlando Lopez, a 22-year-old political science student at Western Oregon University who watched the vote from the Senate gallery. He said he got involved with the issue after seeing high school friends who couldn't afford tuition because they were illegal immigrants.
Proponents of the legislation say students shouldn't be punished because their parents brought them to the United States illegally. And, the bill's backers say, the state should help students be productive residents after investing in years of public education.
"Have these children broken the law when many were carried into this country in the arms of their mother?" asked Sen. Frank Morse, R-Albany, a sponsor of the measure.
But opponents say illegal activity should never be excused, and the state should not give illegal immigrants a benefit that isn't available to U.S. citizens who live in other states.
Others point out that illegal immigrants can't legally work in the U.S.
"Unfortunately, children do pay for the sins of their parents," said Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Hillsboro, an opponent of the bill. "It's unfortunate, but it's reality."
Students should go through the legal immigration process before they go to college, not after, Starr said.
The measure, SB 742, would require universities to charge in-state tuition to illegal immigrants who attended at least five years of school in the United States, at least three of them in Oregon. They must be dependent on another adult for support and apply to college within three years of receiving a high school or GED diploma.
The in-state tuition would be good for up to five years at one of seven universities governed by the State Board of Higher Education. Students would be required to attest that they have applied for legal residency — a provision aimed at ensuring they're eligible to work in the U.S. after they receive a degree.
"This bill does not guarantee a kid admission to any college or university in this state," said Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem. "It does not guarantee them a bachelor's degree. It doesn't guarantee their college will be paid for. It doesn't even guarantee them citizenship. It just gives them a path."
The difference between resident and nonresident tuition is different at every school but can be significant. At the University of Oregon, in-state tuition this year is $8,190, compared with $25,830 for an illegal immigrant, international student or out-of-state student.
Opponents of the bill argued that it would force the universities to give up thousands in lost revenue from students who otherwise would pay nonresident tuition.
But the higher education board voted to support the measure, and an analysis by the Oregon University System projected the schools would make money from the arrangement because more students would be able to afford to attend. University analysts projected that no single school would take in enough new students to need to hire more faculty.
The measure takes effect beginning in the 2012-2013 school year. University officials project they'd take on three additional students in the first year and 33 additional students the following year.
Illegal immigrants would continue to be prohibited from receiving state or federal scholarships.
The bill allows opponents to file an appeal directly to the state Supreme Court within 60 days.
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