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Immigrant Tuition Bill Falters in Md. Senate
Maryland's labor secretary, Thomas E. Perez, right, joined students in Annapolis to urge approval of a bill granting in-state tuition rates to undocumented immigrants.
(By Marvin Joseph -- The Washington Post)
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The difference between the in-state and out-of-state tuition rate at the University of Maryland is nearly $14,000. At Prince George's Community College, it is more than $2,000.
Legal residents qualify for the reduced rate at Maryland universities if they have lived in the state for one year. They can get the in-state tuition rate at community colleges if they have lived in the state for three months.
But undocumented immigrants cannot qualify for in-state tuition because they can't prove residency.
Under the bill, undocumented immigrants who had attended high school in Maryland for at least two years would qualify for in-state tuition.
They would have to prove that they or their parents paid state income taxes for at least a year before graduation, and they would have to submit an affidavit that they would apply for permanent residency within 30 days.
Conway said she would "prefer not to see the bill die" and is working on amendments that would make it palatable to some opponents, including one that would increase the number of years a student must attend high school in Maryland, raising it from two years to four.
The measure would cost the state about $1.1 million by 2012, according to a legislative analysis.
Sen. Andrew P. Harris (R-Baltimore County) said he would lead the filibuster on the Senate floor if the bill makes it out of committee.
"Why should we give even more incentives for illegal immigrants to flock to Maryland?" asked Harris, a member of the Senate committee. "Maryland is already one of the few states to give illegal immigrants driver's licenses."
Former governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) vetoed an in-state tuition bill that passed the General Assembly in 2003, arguing that the legislation would reward illegal behavior and allow illegal immigrants to take spots away from legal Maryland residents.
Immigration advocates remained optimistic that the bill would pass this session.
"Everyone knows we have a broken immigration system," said Kim Propeack, director of Casa of Maryland Inc., an immigrant advocacy group that organized yesterday's rally. "These kids are the innocent bystanders of this broken system."
Ten states have passed similar bills since 2001, according to the legislative analysis, but at least four of those states have considered repeals in recent years.
