Thread: RED ALERT! Please follow us in!

April, I corrected the Arkansas contact above.

Originally Posted by April

LETS BLAST EM PATRIOTS!!!! LETS MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD!!!

Will do

You got it, on it here!!!

REMEMBER FOLKS IT IS YOUR MONEY THEY ARE GIVING AWAY!!!

Thanks for joining in Patriots, WE CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE!!!

Dear Friend,



I wanted to give you on update on my tuition equity bill because there is a lot of misinformation about what SB09-170 does for our state. First and foremost, SB09-170 will not cost the state a cent. All state funding has been removed from the bill and undocumented students would not qualify for state need based financial aid or the Colorado Opportunity Fund and will pay approximately $2,500 more than legal citizens. This means the bill will actually bring in additional dollars for our higher education system.

SB09-170 clears up in-state tuition laws for all students. Children who:

1. Attend a Colorado high school for at least 3 years.
2. Graduate or acquire a GED from a Colorado high school.
3. Enroll in a higher education institution within 12 months of graduation.
4. Remain in good academic standing.
5. Are competent in the English language upon graduation from high school.

would qualify for in-state tuition.

Additionally, legal residents of the United States can domicile themselves in Colorado for at least 1 year to qualify for in-state tuition. Undocumented students will not have this option.

It is estimated that about 200 to 400 undocumented students a year would qualify for SB09-170. University of Northern Colorado, Colorado Mountain College, and Mesa State College have all endorsed tuition equity because each of those schools has a very high percentage of in-state students.

Finally, these students will be required to sign an affidavit stating they will pursue citizenship upon graduation.

I have also heard many people argue the futility of educating illegal immigrants because legally, they cannot be hired by Colorado businesses. First of all, educating our residents is always beneficial to our society, regardless of employment status, and secondly, on the federal level, legislation will be introduced shortly that would remedy this concern. The DREAM Act, expected to be introduced in two weeks in Congress would grant conditional legal residency to these students, as long as they graduate from high school, are accepted by a college or the military, and stay out of trouble.

We are already funding undocumented students’ K-12 education (as federal law mandates), and we will be wasting this initial investment if we do not provide an opportunity for these students to pursue higher education and ultimately give back to the state. Undocumented students are currently ten times less likely to attend college and realizing this futility, often drop out during high school. Tuition equity is by no means a free pass to college. Instead, all SB 170 does is permit this portion of Colorado’s population to pay in-state tuition. These students will still have to apply and be accepted, so only qualified students will benefit from the bill’s passage.

SB 170 is a beneficial bill to the state of Colorado and all of its residents. That's why Republican businessmen such as Alex Cranberg and Dick Monfort support this legislation. Education officials, bussiness people, Republicans, and Democrats have all come together in favor of SB09-170 because it makes economic sense for Colorado.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope this helps you understand why I support tuition equity.

Best wishes,
Randy Fischer, State Representative
House District 53
State Capitol, 200 E. Colfax Ave, Room 271
Denver, Colorado 80203

3007 Moore Lane
Fort Collins, Colorado 80526-2103
303-866-2917 (Capitol)
E-Mail: RandyFischer@frii.com
www.RandyFischer.org

Dear James,

Thank you for contacting me, I value your opinion on this matter. I agree with you on this important issue and will be sure to vote no on SB09-170.

Thank you so much for your e-mail; I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

Regards
Cindy Acree
Cindy Acree, Representative
Colorado House of Representatives
State Capitol
200 E. Colfax Ave., Room 271
Denver, CO 80203
303-866-2944 office

Ok folks, these lawmakers are claiming that the in-state tuition rate for illegals would be of NO COST to the taxpayers of CO.

In every state I have been involved in, on this issue, the state taxpayers pay to reduce the costs for in state students.

Thus the special rate and that is why it is for people inside the state only.

These legislators are claiming that in state tuition rate for students requires no Colorado tax expenditures and WE NEED YOUR HELP TO FIND OUT IF THIS IS TRUE OR A LIE ASAP!

W

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

Ok folks, these lawmakers are claiming that the in-state tuition rate for illegals would be of NO COST to the taxpayers of CO.

In every state I have been involved in, on this issue, the state taxpayers pay to reduce the costs for in state students.

Thus the special rate and that is why it is for people inside the state only.

These legislators are claiming that in state tuition rate for students requires no Colorado tax expenditures and WE NEED YOUR HELP TO FIND OUT IF THIS IS TRUE OR A LIE ASAP!

W

I am looking now, others please help as well so we can get this answered as soon as possible.

http://www.kktv.com/home/headlines/38778447.html

DENVER (AP) -- A state lawmaker trying to grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants says his bill would help Colorado become an economic success.

Denver Democratic Sen. Chris Romer says the lower cost of in-state tuition should be an incentive for students in the country illegally who are struggling to afford college. He says their success would help build Colorado's economy in the future.

But Republicans who oppose Romer's proposal say it would be a snub of federal immigration law. Republican Broomfield Sen. Shawn Mitchell says the bill could put Colorado in a legal tangle with federal officials and taxpayers would foot the bill in court.

Romer says business leaders around the state support his measure.

In-state tuition dangles in reach of illegal immigrants
By Tim Hoover
The Denver Post
Posted: 03/01/2009 12:30:00 AM MST
Updated: 03/01/2009 01:59:40 AM MST


The latest effort, pushed by state Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, would allow illegal immigrants who have attended a Colorado high school for at least three years and graduated to get the in-state tuition rate at state colleges and universities, which would save the undocumented students thousands of dollars. The bill is scheduled to get its first committee hearing Thursday.

A bill passed last year clarified that U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants are Colorado residents and thus eligible for in-state tuition. Romer's bill is aimed at foreign-born children who enter the country illegally with their undocumented parents.

"For any student without a trust fund or a wealthy parent, out-of-state tuition is prohibitive," Romer said. "It's critical to have an educated workforce. Having uneducated children is in no one's interest."

Similar bills have been proposed before, but Romer said what's different this time is the public backing of some heavy-hitting Republicans in the business community.

Those include Dick Monfort, co-owner of the Colorado Rockies and chairman of the University of Northern Colorado Board of Trustees, which has endorsed the legislation. Alex Cranberg, chairman of Aspect Energy and a top GOP donor, also supports the bill.

"I think a lot of Republicans don't understand it," Monfort said of the bill. "They think it's costing the taxpayers money, and it's not.

"It's sort of hard to tell a kid, 'Work (hard), and then either go out of state or pay a fee you can't afford.' "

Cranberg said the concept was both fair and good for the state.

"It is wrong to place unnecessary barriers in the way of any person from being able to realize their potential," he said. "At the same time, it is common to see U.S. colleges subsidize tuition of foreign students to enrich their local students' experiences or draw talent."

Cranberg said those foreign students — documented or not — will be creating new jobs for Americans in the future.

"Undocumented parents pay many taxes," he said. "Even local students who have committed serious violent felonies are eligible for in-state tuition.

"Why should working without a work visa be treated as a worse crime for getting access to a college education?"

Romer's bill, which doesn't have a sponsor in the House, faces stiff opposition from groups seeking to curb illegal immigration.

Stan Weekes, state director of the Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform, which favors tougher restrictions on illegal immigration, said the bill is unfair to American students from other states who have to pay the higher tuition.

"Do we open it to my nephew in Nebraska to come in with the same in-state tuition?" Weekes said.

He said illegal immigrant students, even if they were brought to the state while still young children, are not Coloradans and should not get the resident tuition rate.

"They're not Coloradans because number one, they can't get an identification here. Their parents can't get an identification here. They're geographically challenged individuals."

Romer and other supporters of the legislation say it's heartless to punish immigrant children for what their parents did.

But Weekes said, "I don't believe it's punishment. It's an acceptance of reality."

Ten states, including Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah, have passed legislation to offer the in-state rate to undocumented students; 30 states have considered such legislation since 2001, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

This year, Colorado is among five states considering such a law.

Arkansas and Missouri are considering bills to prohibit illegal immigrants from getting in-state tuition.

In Kansas and Utah, officials have estimated that fewer than 200 undocumented students per year have used the in-state tuition rate.

Romer estimates 200 to 400 such students would come under such a law in Colorado.

One undocumented high school senior from Westminster who spoke to The Denver Post said attending the University of Colorado at Boulder would be impossible without the in-state tuition rate.

Sonia, 18, who asked that her last name be withheld, is an illegal immigrant from Mexico who entered the country with her parents when she was 3. Because she is not a legal resident of Colorado, she'd have to pay the out-of-state tuition rate, which is $23,580 a year. The in-state tuition rate is $5,418.

"They (undocumented students) are just asking for the same opportunity," she said. "They've been here for such a long time, and they haven't done anything wrong to anybody."

Sen. David Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs, has been outspoken against in-state tuition for illegal immigrants and has said he will actively find out-of-state students to challenge the effort in court if it becomes law.

Tim Hoover: 303-954-1626 or thoover@denverpost.com

http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_11810111