Tuition Equity Passes the Senate!

Portland Mercury:

Whoo! The Tuition Equity bill that will allow children of undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition at Oregon universities just passed the Senate at noon today with a vote of 18-11. The Oregon University system believes about 75 undocumented students a year will take advantage of in-state tuition, making the system $943,467 from 2013 to 2015 if the House passes the bill and the governor signs it. Knocking about $17,000 off the cost of tuition for only a couple dozen students a year might not sound like a big deal, but undocumented kids who live in Oregon say it will potentially change their lives. Students who rallied in favor of the DREAM Act in downtown Portland this winter discussed feeling like they hit a wall after high school—they can't legally get jobs and many cannot afford college. The testimony in favor of the bill was pretty profound—multiple Senators preached about the bill in sort of weird religious terms, arguing that children shouldn't be held accountable for the "sins" of their parents (the sin here being illegally immigrating. Did I miss that part of the Bible?). But, anyway, real passion here, folks. [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

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