COLLIN BINKLEY, Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts lawmakers are reviving a debate about whether undocumented immigrants should be eligible for in-state college tuition rates.
Backers of both sides are expected to gather at the Statehouse Wednesday as lawmakers hear public testimony on several competing bills tied to the issue.
For more than a decade, state lawmakers have debated whether undocumented immigrants should get in-state tuition rates, which are often half the price of out-of-state rates. This year, for the first time, some lawmakers also want to offer them state financial aid.
In all, there are six related proposals going before the state’s Joint Committee on Higher Education.
Democrats have proposed legislation with varying levels of support — some back both in-state tuition rates and financial aid for undocumented students, while others believe that offering only lower tuition will be more palatable.
Republicans have countered with bills that aim to limit in-state tuition to U.S. citizens.
Although the idea has long been debated in Massachusetts, it has struggled to gain traction.
Former Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick ordered state colleges to offer in-state rates to undocumented immigrants who had a federal work permit. Wider proposed reforms failed to make it out of their committees under Patrick’s administration.
The farthest the idea traveled was in 2004, when a proposal to offer lower tuition cleared the legislature but was vetoed by then-Gov. Mitt Romney.
Immigration advocates say that charging undocumented students higher rates blocks many from college and access to the workforce. Opponents have argued that offering the lower rate could reward those who are in the country in violation of federal law.
President Barack Obama’s decision in 2012 to allow young people living in the U.S. illegally to stay and work was hailed as a landmark step toward immigration reform, but opportunities for those immigrants — including lower tuition rates — vary by state.
Arizona, Georgia and Indiana specifically prohibited in-state tuition rates for undocumented students as of February, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Alabama and South Carolina forbid undocumented students from enrolling at any public college.
At least 18 states allow in-state tuition rates for undocumented students, according to the conference.
In Massachusetts, there are expected to be more public hearings before fall, when the committee could take action.
