Thread: BREAKING: Arkansas: In-State Tuition Proposal Advances

Does anyone else have confirmation of this? I called the governor's office and was transferred to someone who confirmed this, who said now this goes to full state Senate; governor has problems with the legalilty of this:
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Published Online: March 25, 2009
Panel advances bill on college for kids of aliens

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A proposal to grant the children of illegal immigrants in-state tuition rates has been advanced by a Senate committee.

The Senate Education Committee by a voice vote backed the proposal by Sen. Joyce Elliot of Little Rock. The measure would grant the in-state tuition rates to anyone who has attended an Arkansas school for at least three years and has a high school diploma.

The proposal passed without any discussion. It had been rejected by the committee earlier this week.

It now heads to the Senate for a vote.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/ ... ge_ap.html

You have got to be kidding me? Is this real or a hoax? We need immediate confirmation on this. If this is bogus, somebody is going to pay dearly with credibility loss.

W

The article is marked as an Associated Press article!

W

I'm trying to get confirmation on this right now. My contacts at the legislature are in the chamber, and the woman I talked with had no knowledge that this had occurred. I'm waiting for several calls to be returned. If this has happened, none of us had an inkling.

If someone can verify what did or didn't occur before I can, please post. I'm actually working right now, but I'm trying to get info. at the same time.

Please keep working it! I have emails and calls going in now as well!

W

I FOUND THIS


In-state tuition for illegal aliens fails
Proposal granting lower rate falls vote short of moving to Senate
By Seth Blomeley (Tuesday, March 24, 2009)

A bill that would allow children of illegal aliens to pay instate tuition rates at Arkansas colleges and universities failed in the Senate Education Committee on Monday.

Immigrant tuition break rejected by Senate panel
The Associated Press


LITTLE ROCK — Despite an endorsement by the head of Arkansas’ flagship university, a bill to grant the children of illegal immigrants in-state tuition has been rejected by a Senate committee.

University of Arkansas at Fayetteville Chancellor David Gearhart told the Senate Education Committee on Monday that he supports a bill by Sen. Joyce Elliot, D-Little Rock.

The Senate panel later rejected Elliott’s proposal on a voice vote. The bill would grant in-state tuition to any student who attended high school in the state for at least three years and has a high school diploma.

Opponents of the measure told the panel that they were concerned the measure would encourage illegal immigration.

http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/200 ... ate-panel/

This was my first thought W. I called some of the state senators on the Education Committee but just rec'd voice mail, then I called the governor's office and was tranferred to a staffer.

You may want to try the governor's office too.

I'm also checking for other news sources.

**note the story I found is posted 3/25 (today) which references that this committee rejected this proposal "earlier this week" (Monday?).

I just talked with a close contact who actually testified against the bill on Monday, and she isn't aware of any reintroduction. There was actually a voice vote in the Senate committee on Monday, which is where the bill was tabled, so I think this article has just incorrectly stated the facts. My contact is VERY involved with this bill(among others), and she has not been told anything different from what was already on record. She does think the bill might be reintroduced by Joyce Elliot--and I totally agree---possibly on Friday of this week.

Bill Advances That Would Grant In-state Tuition to Children of Illegal Immigrants
By The Associated Press - 3/25/2009 1:35:01 PM

LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A proposal to grant the children of illegal immigrants in-state tuition rates was advanced by a Senate committee on Wednesday and heads for a vote in the chamber that killed a similar measure four years ago.

The Senate Education Committee by a voice vote backed the proposal by Sen. Joyce Elliot of Little Rock. The measure would grant the in-state tuition rates to anyone who has attended an Arkansas school for at least three years and has a high school diploma.

The proposal passed without any discussion. It had been rejected by the committee earlier this week.

Elliott, D-Little rock, later said that she probably would not bring the measure up for a vote in the Senate until next week and said she was still tallying support for the bill. The idea faced skepticism from senators during a rare "committee of the whole" meeting before the entire chamber last week.

"I'm not lulled into thinking the hard work is over," Elliott said. "I'm just going to go about the business of trying to help the senators see the way forward to support this bill. I'm excited, but this is just a first step."

Elliott said the swing vote on the eight member panel came from Sen. Steve Bryles, who did not vote on the proposal before the committee earlier this week.

"These children have attended an Arkansas school and to deny them the opportunity to go to college is just stupid. We're not enhancing benefits for anyone," said Bryles, D-Blytheville.

As a House member, Elliott in 2005 originally proposed offering in-state tuition and scholarships to the children of illegal immigrants. That measure passed the House, but failed in the Senate despite removal of the scholarship provision.

The proposal faces opposition from Gov. Mike Beebe, who has said that granting the in-state tuition rates could violate federal law. Earlier this week, the state's higher education chief told lawmakers he opposed the proposal.

As attorney general in 2005, Beebe issued an opinion that said it could violate a 1996 federal law that said no higher education benefit shall be available to illegal immigrants' children unless it's also available to every U.S. citizen.

Arkansas Higher Education Director Jim Purcell said that doing so would essentially eliminate out-of-state tuition and could reduce revenue to the state's colleges and universities by about $38 million.

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article ... 928.125672