Topeka — The annual battle in the Kansas Legislature over in-state tuition for some undocumented students started Tuesday.
State Rep. Brett Hildabrand, R-Merriam, introduced a bill in the House Federal and State Affairs Committee that would repeal the state law that allows students whose parents brought them to Kansas illegally to pay the lower cost in-state college tuition.
Hildabrand said many of his constituents have told him they don't like the current law because it "rewards" those who don't abide by the rule of law.
Federal and State Affairs Committee Chairman Arlen Siegfreid, R-Olathe, said he hasn't set a date yet on a hearing for the bill.
Under the current Kansas law, students are considered Kansas residents eligible for in-state tuition if they graduated from a Kansas high school or received a GED, have lived in the state for three years and pledge to become citizens.
Approximately 600 students are benefiting from the law at state universities, community colleges and technical colleges, according to the Kansas Board of Regents.
The law has been on the books since 2004. Numerous unsuccessful attempts to repeal it have been made.
The difference between paying in-state and out-of-state tuition is significant. A first-time freshman who entered Kansas University last fall paid $8,790 per year for tuition if he or she was considered a Kansas resident. A nonresident paid $21,750.
In the past, undocumented students have said they would have been unable to attend college by paying the out-of-state tuition.
The Kansas Board of Regents has said it supports the current law and will oppose attempts to repeal.
In a recent interview, Regents Vice Chairman Fred Logan Jr. defended the law.
"It's also important for our economy because those students are going to have better training, better education, and they are going to be really great productive citizens here in Kansas," he said.
Comments
cheeseburger 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Repeal it!
Thinking_Out_Loud 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Repealing this law would be a mistake. Making post-secondary education available can help undocumented students raise themselves out of poverty. Reducing poverty is a good thing. Repealing the law does not send undocumented students home; instead, it forces them into accepting low-level, low-paying, low-potential employment that perpetuates the cycle they are in. This is one of the few far-sighted laws that makes for a lousy sound-bite, but is a very good public policy.
Cant_have_it_both_ways 3 months, 3 weeks ago
The better answer is to send those law breakers back to where ever they came from. Why do we continue to reward some who break the law while all the time screwing those who obey them?
caughtinthemiddle 3 months, 3 weeks ago
You mean, like the employers who keep them here? I agree, punish to the full extent of the law.
tomatogrower 3 months, 3 weeks ago
So, a kid who was brought here as a toddler, who speaks only English, and only has a small knowledge of Spanish should be sent back? I hope your father was a law abiding citizen. if he wasn't I think we should throw you in prison for any crime he committed.
toe 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Yes to sending back the toddler. Yes to jailing the children of law breaking fathers.
JJE007 3 months, 3 weeks ago
"Yes to jailing the children of law breaking fathers." Congratulations on winning the most hatefully ridiculous comment award. Do you really want to pay to incarcerate kids, instead of educating them. It costs more, you know.
There is a vacancy in your attack attic, toetoe.
avarom 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Un-educated- un-documented workers.... just allows them to cling to Welfare System...... which everyone complains about......so why not educate them to be productive, english speaking...tax paying members of society.......the better the education, the larger their contribution and its sounds like the Obuma is leaning toward declaring amnesty anyway..... and we have Nothing to Vote or Say about It!I It's pretty much a done deal......Betcha!!!
landb 3 months, 3 weeks ago
This is just the reason that they come illegally. Most of them cannot afford the time and money to jump through hoops for years. If the US had a more rational immigration policy they wouldn't need to come here illegally. They are not coming here to become criminals, but to better themselves. The immigration policy that we have is, itself, almost criminal.
JackMcKee 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Good thing these guys and gals are tackling all these incredibly pressing issues.
concerned1 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Exactly. Something that affects a whopping 600 people should take top priority over something stupid like say our state budget. Here's betting they go past the 90 days again.
seriouscat 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Bring em in to work for CHEAP! Just don't educate them...we want them to be SHEEP!
http://cjonline.com/news/2012-01-28/agriculture-interests-stir-immigration-policy
westcl 3 months, 3 weeks ago
I want them to go home to whatever country they came from. They are cowards. They could take a stand in their own country to make it better. Or they could wait in line like others who are obeying our laws and going through the legal process of becoming a citizen.
jesse499 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Just keep giving them everything for breaking the law they already get more then the people that are born here now.
westcl 3 months, 3 weeks ago
If Kansas continues to let illegal students attend for in-state tuition then other out-of-state students who are citizens should be able to pay in-state tuition as well.
There is a federal law that states no foreigner shall be given privileges that are not also given to citizens of the country. Just like other laws, it is not enforced.
chootspa 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Absolutely. Any out of state student who graduates from an in-state high school and lives in the state for three years should pay in-state tuition rates, too.
tomatogrower 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Any student who graduates from an in-state high school does pay in state tuition. Oh wait, should I turn on my sarcasm meter?
Nani700 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Just when the federal government is beginning to tackle immigration issues in a positive way, Kansas is again considering a backwards step. Better to allow these 600 a chance to improve their chances for education and legal employment Cheaper to do that than pay to house them in jail or keep them unemployed. It is not as though it doesn't come with strings attached. Why punish the kids for their family's mistakes? The students in this program work hard and will positively influence others in their situation. It just amazes me that this administration and its bought and paid members in the legislature can only bring up old bills(strip clubs) that have been rejected. Guess it is true that nothing ever really dies in the statehouse, certainly nothing that is detrimental to the growth of Kansas.
jesse499 3 months, 3 weeks ago
What's so positive about giving citizenship to people who break our laws instead of coming here and doing it the right way.Which only says to others come on over they won't do anything.
tomatogrower 3 months, 3 weeks ago
This law affects children who were brought here by their parents. Punish their parents, not the children.
caughtinthemiddle 3 months, 2 weeks ago
So, punish the innocent as well as the guilty?
And, too, what do you advocate about the employers who make it possible for the parents to stay?
The kids didn't do a damn thing wrong, except be born to parents who want a better life for their kids. Got a problem with that?
ljreader 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Punish their parents? What. By giving them legal presence with a pathway to citizenship? It may not be the fault of these "children" that they are here, but is CERTAINLY not the fault of American citizens- other than those who hire them- who BTW- are often family members. So far, the only folks I see punished are American taxpayers who are forced to feed, educate, medicate, incarcerate illegal aliens. If the kids want to stay, they should be able to do so if their parents who broke the law return to their own country, with the understanding they are barred for life from ever obtaining legal status in the US.
ljreader 3 months, 2 weeks ago
I would like to add, that if these parents gave birth to children while here, and those children are underage- they are the responsibility of the parents. They can leave with them.There is no reason to "tear families apart". Since they are US citizens, they can have the option to return when they are adults. Meanwhile, they can keep their families in tack by moving their children with them. That's what most parents would do. Hopefully,, this country will eliminate the loophole and magnet that is birthright citizenship. I've always wondered why the illegals who holler about their families being torn apart seemed to have no qualms about leaving them behind in their home countries to begin with so that they can come/ stay here illegally..
redcoalcarpet 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Leave the law alone; I would venture a guess that most of these student didn't have any say in whether they were brought to the US legally or illegally and shouldn't be punished. Looking at it from a financial viewpoint if we could potentially lose several million dollars a year in tuition dollars if they are no longer able to afford to attend college. Leave it alone, it is mean!
jesse499 3 months, 3 weeks ago
If a US citizen is in Mexico illegally don't get caught it's not pretty.
tomatogrower 3 months, 3 weeks ago
If a US citizen is in Mexico illegally, it's probably only to buy drugs. After all the US junkie habit keeps those drug cartels in business.
SnakeFist 3 months, 3 weeks ago
What's your point? That Mexico's policy should dictate ours? The fact that Mexico doesn't do the right thing is no reason for us to act immorally and punish children for the "crime" of their parents (not that seeking a better life should be characterized as a crime).
jesse499 3 months, 3 weeks ago
The point is they came Illegally we have had millions come to this country legally over the years with no problem learned our language and so on why can't they do the same just obey the law and not cut corners that's all we ask.I get tired of helping everyone under the sun and having them call us names and so on because we don't give them more we don't take care of our own people in this country because we're taking care of everyone else.
Souki 3 months, 3 weeks ago
When will you learn our language? Punctuation. It's available to everyone.
tomatogrower 3 months, 3 weeks ago
If the parents had stayed in Mexico, and been able to feed their family and send the kids to a decent school, they would have gone to university for almost free, probably a year of free service. Now they get to pay thousand of dollars. The problem is if their family had stayed in Mexico, they would have starved to death.
fred_mertz 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Didn't realize Mexicans are starving to death. Any stats?
seriouscat 3 months, 3 weeks ago
To all the people who are saying go home and stop taking jobs and free stuff...just so you know...since the LJworld had yet to report on this and no one is reading the above link:
"Details are expected to emerge this week about a bill establishing the outline of a state-managed worker program, in cooperation with the federal government, linking sponsor companies with illegal immigrants who have been in Kansas a minimum of five years."
"A likely candidate would be a person who entered Kansas on a visa that expired years ago"
Your republican legislature is hard at work for YOU! *comment sponsored by Cargill corporation
http://cjonline.com/news/2012-01-28/agriculture-interests-stir-immigration-policy
Frankie8 3 months, 3 weeks ago
I do not think that many can understand the conditions of those living in Mexico who, driven by desperation, came to this country on a wing and a prayer.
I have only goodwill and friendship for our brothers and sisters from our southern border. Those who take higher education for granted will never know the pride that comes from having a child being the first in the family to get a college diploma.
The self discipline that comes from getting a degree tells potential employers that you can stick with something and see it though to the end. If they have lived here for three years they are indeed citizens of Kansas, regardless of their parents citizenship, and should be able to get in state tuition. I applaud these students and their families and wish them well.
Do you know why you don't have to put a lid on a pail of crawdads when you are using them for fish bait? Because if one is near the top and about to get out, one of the others will reach up and pull it back down.
patkindle 3 months, 3 weeks ago
this appears to be coming from the repubicans, evidently they finially figured out the number of illegal aliens didnt vote for any of them
Nikonman 3 months, 3 weeks ago
So if you are an American citizen from anywhere in the US, you pay almost 2 1/2 times as much as someone from another country. That's just not right. And I don't care how they got here.
MyName 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Nooo if your not a Kansas resident you pay more than if you are one to go to a Kansas school. The kid graduated from a Kansas HS so they've obviously been living here long enough to establish residency. The rest is up to INS to hash out, but if they then use their status as a student to stay in the country legally, they're not even breaking any laws at that point.
So they're a resident who graduated from a KS high school and who is paying taxes and they shouldn't be allowed to go to school at some point because of something their parents did? Because you don't like them since they don't vote Republican since they're not a citizen??
Paul R. Getto 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Like the great ESSENE said, "make the little children suffer."
moderationman 3 months, 3 weeks ago
The citizens of Kansas (Brownbackistan) have already funded the k-12 education of these students. They are not eligible for any financial aid, they must pay their own way. Since they are defacto residents, why shouldn't they pay in state tuition? Who dies this hurt? The short answer is no one.
cheeseburger 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Oh? How about the 4.0 gpa AMERICAN kid who happens to live just over the border in Missouri but desires to attend KU? He and his family pay $21,750/yr, but the child of someone who does things ILLEGALLY and lives off Kansans pays $8,790/yr. Who does that hurt? Sounds like the American kid is the loser! Not fair!
mom_of_three 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Who said anything about these immigrant kids or their families living of Kansans? These kids graduated from a kansas high school OR earned their GED. They came here by no fault of their own. And I bet the kid from Missouri could go to his own state school just as cheap. A non Missouri resident who goes to Misouri pays $35,464.
ebyrdstarr 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Wait a minute, there, mom. Are you suggesting that a 4.0 gpa AMERICAN kid who happens to live on the Kansas side of State Line Road but for some unfathomable reason desires to attend MU has to pay $35,464? Wow, someone ought to call the fairness police. How dare any state allow people who graduated from that state's high schools to pay less for their state universities than people who haven't already been a part of that state's educational system.
Frankie8 3 months, 3 weeks ago
It is totally fair since a state line does determine where the border is. You are a resident of Kansas if you are ten feet from the state line and that is how fees are determined. Nothing unfair about it. And, I am very leery about AMERICAN, let's just go with American, shall we? GPA has nothing to do with citizenship.
ebyrdstarr 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Yeah, I was being sarcastic and mocking cheeseburger's usage to make a point. Guess I failed.
cheeseburger 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Why don't you quit mocking me and instead attempt to make a rational argument as to why taxpaying American citizens should subsidize illegals.
ebyrdstarr 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Mockery is a perfectly valid rhetorical device. I'm not going to alter my argument style because you don't like it. People who reside in Kansas and graduate from Kansas high schools have always paid less to attend state universities than residents of other states. I fail to see the unfairness.
cheeseburger 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Interesting that someone who purports to be very familiar with the law has such a difficult time differentiating between legal and illegal.
webmocker 3 months, 2 weeks ago
There is a reciprocity agreement that significantly reduces the cost to a Missouri resident in many cases.
http://affordability.ku.edu/cs/midwest.shtml
Cant_have_it_both_ways 3 months, 3 weeks ago
News reports today puts illegals at 47% who recieve some type of welfare, whether it is food stamps or some other kind of assistance. They do not have to pay taxes to get this assistance. This is pure BS. Send them all back, make those Americans on welfare or unemployment take those jobs.
oldexbeat 3 months, 3 weeks ago
no thanks, re 'mericans on welfare. The crime rate of the kids from the white meth smoking crack heads families is bad. Rather have the hard workers making it the old work and progress way that was truly American when your family came. They pay taxes. They don't get back refunds. Companies keep the money often. And I question your source. List it. That figure no doubt includes school lunches. Fox? No doubt.
reverber 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Why is the number always 47%? Where are the [non-partisan] links showing the data to back this number up? Also, sales tax is a tax. I doubt that these people are able to avoid paying sales taxes.
Hepburn 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Can't, which news reports did you find the 47% figure mentioned? It would be nice for you to share your sources.
Armstrong 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Well the left has perverted the "fairness factor" on this subject too it seems.
toe 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Bringing children, babies, across a border is child abuse. The parents should be arrested for this irresponsible endangerment and their children placed in foster homes. Then if consideration for in-state tuition is needed, it should be done for the foster children.
JJE007 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Should we arrest you for your above comment?
toe - "Yes to jailing the children of law breaking fathers." That sounds quite abusive!
oldexbeat 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Sure glad we're clearly not a Christain based state. The raw hate and totally racist outlook on these kids -- children -- that bring millions and millions of dollars to our state schools -- 600 times $9,000 times four years, etc., plus food, housing, and spending at school -- guess that money just isn't needed by the state of Brownbackistan (nee, Kansas). Oh, this isn't about money ? Huh ?
Oh, and that they then are even more productive after school might help our state, too.
For those that came after 1776 to my country, I would like to see some papers ? You know, when did your relatives come over free ? If it was after the Constitution, you might have to go back. Really. Same thing.
fred_mertz 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Older - educate yourself. If you're born here you're an American. So it is foolish of you to ask for people's papers because you question whether their ancestors were legal or not.
These kids were not born here hence they are illegal.
irtnog2001 3 months, 2 weeks ago
I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand I see the argument that if they are here long-term it is better if they are provided educational opportunities. On the other, I don't see that they cannot attend private colleges on scholarship if they are bright and any way you look at it once they graduate they are not only competing with citizens for good jobs but probably have an advantage due to affirmative action.
laredo 3 months, 2 weeks ago
I hope all of your ancestors had all of their legal work and citizenship papers in order or you might have to go back and pay back tuition plus interest.
irtnog2001 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Mine came over before there was a U.S. and fought in the Revolutionary war
Armstrong 3 months, 2 weeks ago
UNDOCUMENTED a.k.a. ILLEGAL. What part of that is hard to understand ?
MyName 3 months, 2 weeks ago
How can a person be illegal? They may be living here illegally, but they're not an illegal person. In any case, their parents brought them over, so up until they're 18 their parents are the responsible party.
After they turn 18, they can fill out their own paperwork to stay in the country legally, which works just fine as they have visas for students to come study here. So the question is, are they a resident of the state of Kansas for tuition purposes? Well their parents paid taxes and they've lived in Kansas long enough to go through high school, so that would seem to be a yes. The law as it is makes more sense than rewriting it to punish some kids for the failings of their parents and INS.
Commenting has been disabled for this item.