Virginia's in-state tuition bill is moving forward. SB1037 was introduced by a Republican and its stated intent is to prohibit access to in-state tuition for undocumented students, unless they follow a familiar set of rules: live in the state, attend a high school in the state for three or more years, get a degree and sign an affidavit. Unlike similar bills in California and elsewhere, however, the bill also includes a provision that the student must show his or her tax records for the three years prior to enrollment.
I found the political dynamics to be peculiar on this one, particularly since the bill's chief patron, Republican Emmett Hanger Jr. from the 24th district, seems to belong to the Buchanan school of thought on immigration. From his website:
For centuries, immigrants who followed the rules to come to this country legally have been the foundation of the American culture. So when we tolerate illegal immigration, we insult those immigrants who played by the rules to come here. More importantly, the failure to secure our borders jeopardizes our national security. With the federal government failing to do its duty to secure our borders, I believe Virginia must do more to crack down on illegal immigration and I am working hard to make that happen.
While other in-state tuition exemptions played out strictly under party lines, SB1037 just passed the Virginia State Senate with strong bipartisan support leading to a 31-9 vote in favor. Thirteen republicans and eighteen democrats supported the bill, while only six republicans and three democrats voted against it.
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