Congress Takes Up Competing Bills On In-state Tuition For Illegal Immigrants
By Charles Dervarics
The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate are on a collision course this summer over a plan that would penalize public colleges that offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.
Such colleges would face tighter scrutiny under a bill approved by a powerful House committee in June. These public colleges and universities could lose significant federal funding, particularly if they use federal dollars to support these policies.
Ten states currently provide in-state tuition breaks at public colleges, and others are considering similar legislation, says the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. But the policies continue to face criticism from those who want to toughen federal laws against illegal immigrants.
“These statutes must be repealed because they violate federal law and defy common sense,” says Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, chief sponsor of the plan, which the House Appropriations Committee successfully added to Congress’ 2007 education funding bill.
