Posted on 04/07/2005 4:56:58 PM PDT by crazyhorse691
SALEM -- A bill giving Oregon students who are not U.S. citizens the right to attend Oregon state universities at in-state tuition rates cleared the Senate Education and Workforce Committee on Wednesday.
Senate Bill 769 now goes to the Joint Ways and Means Committee for an assessment of its effect on the state's higher education budget.
The vote was 3-1, with Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, voting no. Sen. Charles Starr, R-Hillsboro, was a reluctant yes, noting that his vote probably would anger some of his constituents who are upset that noncitizens would get access to in-state tuition.
Currently, noncitizens must pay out-of-state rates at Oregon's public universities, but many cannot afford to. The difference between resident and nonresident tuition is about $12,000 a year.
"I have supported this bill because these students have been in our system all along," Starr said. "They are not going home."
The bill would grant in-state tuition to a non-U.S. citizen if the student attended an Oregon high school for three consecutive years, earned an Oregon high school diploma and plans to become a citizen or a resident legal alien.
The bill was backed by the Oregon University System and the Oregon Student Association, which represents students at public universities. It was opposed by Oregonians for Immigration Reform, which argued at a public hearing last month that taxpayers shouldn't subsidize college for illegal immigrants. The group also argued that the bill could encourage more illegal immigration to Oregon.
Eight states have granted in-state tuition rates to noncitizen students, including California and Washington, according to a study by the Oregon University System. The study concluded there is no evidence that granting resident tuition rates to students who are not citizens had caused tuition to rise in those eight states.
Steve Bender. a legislative fiscal analyst, told the committee the university system could lose about $920,000 per biennium if the bill becomes law. That's based on 20 students currently in the university system who could switch to in-state tuition, and 80 more who would go to college if they could pay the lower in-state rate.
Bender said those estimates were based on what has happened in other states when similar legislation passed.
A similar bill passed the Senate in 2003 but died in the Republican-controlled House.
Steven Carter: 503-221-8521; stevencarter@news.oregonian.com
A real incentive to pursue citizenship, right.
Can someone from NJ get that deal or do you have to be an illegal?
What's the advantage to be a citizen of this state? What if someone from Idaho moved there for 2weeks? Instate or out of state?
Here's a simple solution to this idocy.
US non Oregon student enrolls. Claims he's not a citizen. School asks for documentation, and obviously he's not going to have any.
About the time they loose enough money on this crap they'll change it.
Blue state alert!
Honest to Pete. You have to love our legislators. We supposedly don't have enough money in the universities now, but by George we have enough to subsidize illegal immigrants. And don't get me started on our high schools . . .
I'm a Red State kind of gal living in a Blue State kind of place. Oregon, to me, should be known as California lite.
That plan needs some refining because of the following conditions that must be met:
"The bill would grant in-state tuition to a non-U.S. citizen if the student attended an Oregon high school for three consecutive years, earned an Oregon high school diploma and plans to become a citizen or a resident legal alien."
I can't think of any loopholes off the top of my head, can you?
In-state tuition rate really just means that the state tax-payers are picking up a portion of the bill. The school is still getting the same amount no matter where the student is from.
So, of course, legislators will be happy to offer tax payer money to non-citizens! ...sigh... They do for everything else.
Leave that to a motivated college kid.
The only reason that neocommunists would do something this stupid and irrational is the measurable effect is has in working to the eventual destruction of America! A millionith of an inch here and a millionth there. What does it benefit these people to encourage foreign illegal criminal aliens to attend their public universities? The criminal aliens will eventually be deported at take the human capital they've acquired at taxpayer expense back to the third world. What do the people from Washington say when they are relegated to a status below that of criminal?
Remember, none of these illegals can become a lawful resident of a state absent lawful entry into the United States in the first place,
This will ultimately destroy the in-state/out-of-state tuition differentials!
"They are not going home" as long as they have enablers like you, phucker.
This man should be booted from office.
So an illegal attends Oregon high on the US taxpayers dollar, graduates and then says he wants to be a citizen (whether he intends to or not) and that's all it takes? If that's the deal I'd say it's pretty good; for the illegal. The taxpayer still gets ripped off though.
That's what it looks like.
If that's the deal I'd say it's pretty good; for the illegal. The taxpayer still gets ripped off though.
IMO, the student (illegal alien) should have to get some sort of legal status to be here before being allowed to enroll. There's no reason to subsidize his college education if it's going to be illegal for him to work here.
Actually, deporting illegals as quickly as possible would end all of this crap.
Many long term residents ( legal) pay the same taxes as citizens and can now get a reasonably priced education.. Of course there is an arguement if ANYONE should be subsidized.
I also believe it is against federal law to discriminate on the basis of nationality. They could also be jepordizing federal funding for their institution.
Any out of state student that doesn't sue for equal treatment under the law would be a fool! You can definitely see a case coming where an out of state student is bumped or rejected from a spot in the freshman class for an illegal.
What if someone sent their child to live with a relative and attend high school for the prescribed 3 years? Do they now qualify for in state tuition? Do current out of state students get in state tuition in their fourth year? Grad school?
Will their be special seats set aside for illegals, with lowered testing requirements? Will they also qualify for stipends, grants and scholarships for the in state tuition?
Why doesn't Oregon simply outsource their colleges to Mexico, Canada, or wherever?
"Sen. Charles Starr, R-Hillsboro, was a reluctant yes, noting that his vote probably would anger some of his constituents who are upset that noncitizens would get access to in-state tuition."
DUH!
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