In-state Tuition for Undocumented Students; and No Vote With No I.D.
There are plenty of places to keep an eye on today – with the budget impasse in Washington and all.
At the state level there are important bills and ideas that will affect voting rights and immigration, and we shouldn’t lapse in our attention to them just because Obama, Reid and Boehner aren’t playing well together.
Three items to keep track of:
- MARYLAND – The Wesport News reports:
The House of Delegates will be voting on a measure to allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition under certain conditions.
The House is expected to vote on the bill Friday. The Senate already has passed the bill. The two houses will then have to work out some differences that the House has added to the legislation, including a requirement that males sign up for Selective Service to receive the reduced tuition.
Democrats in the House turned away 12 amendments offered by Republicans on Thursday.
Illegal immigrants would have to complete two years at a community college and show that their parents paid state taxes for the three years before they enrolled to qualify for in-state tuition.
- INDIANA – According to the Associated Press:
Indiana’s Republican House speaker said Thursday he had concerns about aspects of a proposal calling for an Arizona-style crackdown on illegal immigration moving through the Legislature.
Speaker Brian Bosma said that House leaders were talking with business leaders and looking closely at the bill approved by the Senate and awaiting action by the House.
That bill contains tax penalties for businesses that hire illegal immigrants and allows police officers to seek proof of immigration status if they have a reasonable suspicion a person is in the country illegally.
Bosma said he was uncomfortable with the prospect of foreign citizens in the state on work or education visas being frequently questioned.
“Putting these individuals in a position, having not committed any other crime, of having to prove their legal residency here has given many folks concern,” Bosma told reporters. “We have to find a way to deal with the issue that does not give individuals who are here legally very strong third-class residency.”
- COLORADO – From KVDR.com:
Colorado‘s secretary of state would have the authority to block voters whose citizenship is questioned under a bill given preliminary approval by House lawmakers.
Democrats object to the Republican proposal and say it will disenfranchise voters. Republicans say the bill is necessary to make sure only U.S. citizens are voting.
Lawmakers approved the bill on a voice vote Thursday. It faces one more vote before it can go on to the Democratic-controlled Senate.
We’ll staff the watch and let you know how all this turns out.
Follow Victor Landa on Twitter: @vlanda
[Photo by Taz etc.]
