Time is running out on these bad bills, but as the man said, it ain’t over till it’s over.
After sitting idle in the Senate for more than a month, a controversial bill to eliminate in-state tuition rates for undocumented immigrants is back on the upper chamber’s calendar.
But it remains unclear whether the Senate has the votes to bring the measure up for debate.
Senate Bill 1819 by state Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, would do away with what has been standard policy in Texas since 2001: allowing non-citizens, including undocumented students, to pay discounted in-state tuition rates if they have lived in Texas for three or more years.
The proposal was originally placed on the Senate’s intent calendar on April 15 after an hours-long and emotional committee hearing — but it was taken off that calendar next day. During the first 130 days of the session, Senate rules require a bill to stay on the calendar for two days before being brought up for debate.
On Tuesday, the bill was back on the calendar along with another controversial measure, Senate Bill 185 by state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock. That proposal seeks to give local law enforcement expanded immigration enforcement powers.
SB 185 has been on and off the intent calendar several times since passing out of committee on April 13, a sign that the measure didn’t have support from 19 senators — the threshold needed to bring it up for a debate. The upper chamber’s 11 Democrats have stood united in their opposition to both measures, and at least two Republicans are firm against it.
See here for the background. The two Republican Senators that are helping hold these bills back are Sens. Kevin Eltife, who is not a surprise, and Craig Estes, who is. Without their resistance, these bills would have already passed the Senate thanks to the two thirds rule change. We appreciate the support, fellas. Hold fast, there’s not much farther to go. Stace, Texas Leftist, and the Chron’s Bobby Cervantes have more.
Dan “Dumbass” Patrick mad about the Dream Act just decided to try to eliminate in-state tuition for everyone. I doubt this hold appeal for even half-way normal Republicans, this is an increase of about FOUR times current rates for Texas residents, but we’ll see.
https://www.facebook.com/EasterLemming/posts/646487945494871
If you want to encourage more of a certain behavior, you reward that behavior. If you want to prevent a behavior, you do things to punish that behavior. Sanctuary cities tell illegal aliens, “hey, if you can just make it across the border and get to our city, you’re home free, you are welcome.” In state tuition for illegals encourages more illegals to smuggle their young children here.
If we really support unfettered illegal immigration, let’s just disband the Border Patrol and open the gates wide open. I’m sure that would be great news for those at the county hospitals, WIC offices, school districts, and every other governmental agencies that will provide handouts to our newest “pre-citizens. Of course, that might not be great news for the taxpayers, who will be paying the bill for all of that.
Ending in state tuition for illegals seems mean spirited on its face, but really, it would be mean spirited to the taxpayers to continue the practice. I agree that it isn’t a kid’s fault if the parents sneak the kid across the border illegally. However, rewarding the parent’s bad behavior will only encourage more of it.
Say the parents had, instead of coming here illegally, robbed a bank in their home country. The kids then become used to a certain lifestyle. Sometime later, the parents are caught and the money is seized. That isn’t fair to the kids, who had, through no fault of their own, become used to a nice lifestyle with that money. It would be mean spirited to punish the kids lifestyle because the parent’s mistake was caught, right?
Instead of spending taxpayer funds to benefit illegals, that money should be used to locate, detain and deport illegals. Doing otherwise is a slap in the face to people who come here legally, at great expense.