DENVER
The Colorado Senate killed a proposal Monday that would have allowed undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities.
Five Democrats joined with Republicans to defeat the bill in a 18-16 vote after a three-hour debate.
Senate Bill 170 would have allowed students who are in the country illegally and who have graduated from Colorado high schools to pay in-state tuition plus the cost of a state stipend that other Colorado students receive.
Backers said these students shouldn’t be punished for the laws their parents broke in coming to the United States. Opponents argued it would have violated a federal law that bars states from offering undocumented immigrants any benefit that’s not given to citizens from other states.
Lawmakers then voted to change the bill to say it would take effect only if the federal law is changed through the DREAM Act pending in Congress, but that amended version was defeated. Republicans accused majority Democrats of trying to have it both ways since Democrats initially argued that they believed the bill, similar to ones passed in 10 other states, was legal.
Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, was among the Democrats who voted no. He said he was upset the fight on the issue had come to overshadow the debate on the overall state budget, which includes a recommended $423 million cut to higher education that could put some schools at risk of closing. About $100 million is set to be offset with federal stimulus money.
