This article suggest that the Arlington Chamber of Commerce in the State of Virginia will be promoting in-state tuition for the undocumented.
Quote:
The Arlington Chamber of Commerce again this year is supporting a proposal by the School Board to permit Virginia students lacking clear immigration documentation to receive in-state tuition rates at state colleges and universities.
But the Chamber’s support is linked to families’ meeting all the requirements outlined in the proposed legislation, which so far has failed to make it through the General Assembly.
Modeled on the as-yet-unadopted federal DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act, the legislation has been adopted by 10 states.
In order to qualify for in-state tuition under the proposal, students must have graduated from a Virginia high school; lived in the state for at least five years; submitted evidence that they or their parents or guardians have paid Virginia income taxes for at least three years; and provide an affidavit that the student has filed an application to become a permanent resident of the U.S., and is actively pursuing such residency.
The measure is designed to help students who may be stuck in a bureaucratic limbo, awaiting final approval of permanent residency status - something that can take years due to the backlog of applications at the federal level. Such students are neither “illegal immigrants” nor, technically, legal U.S. residents, but somewhere in the middle.
Texas, California, Utah, Washington, New York, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico and Nebraska have adopted legislation similar to the proposed federal legislation.
Under Virginia law, students who cannot prove legal residency are not barred from attending state-supported institutions of higher education, but are required to pay out-of-state tuition rates, which can be as much as three times the in-state rates. Advocates for the students say such a requirement imposes an additional burden on families through no fault of their own.
But some Virginia legislators are moving in the other direction, and in recent sessions have introduced legislation banning students who can’t prove legal residency from attending state colleges and universities altogether.
Also as part of its legislative package, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce is supporting increased state funding for George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College, especially in high-need academic areas, and is supporting collaborative arrangements between Northern Virginia Community College and the state’s four-year institutions of higher learning.
If this actually passes it would be kinda funny since it would be quite close to Gheen's home state,lol.
