Immigrant Tuition Benefit Survives a Second Lawmaker Vote

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) Illegal immigrant students in Utah now seem more certain to keep paying in-state tuition rates at state schools. A measure to repeal the benefit failed again in the Utah House today, but with an even wider margin than the previous tie vote.

Still, Representative Glenn Donnelson says his bill isn't dead, "but I'm going to have to work hard."

He has until the end of the session to win enough supporters in the House to bring the bill back again. To tip the scales today, he even made a concession that would extend the implementation date, letting current students who are high school sophomores, juniors and seniors still qualify for the lower in-state rate.

This is the fourth year Donnelson has tried to repeal the in-state tuition benefit lawmakers created for the undocumented students in 2002. At that time, lawmakers believed Congress would soon pass a law giving conditional legal status to people who entered the U.S. as children.

If he doesn't succeed this session, Donnelson promises to be back next year, unless Congress has implemented major immigration reforms.

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