Washington Legislature Clears Tuition Aid Bill for Illegal Aliens
Washington State legislators cleared for the governor’s consideration a bill (SB 6523) giving illegal aliens access to financial aid at state-run universities and colleges. Gov. Jay Inslee has said he will sign the bill.
The bill makes illegal aliens eligible for the State Need Grant if they were granted a two-year stay of deportation under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program or if they attest that they will apply for permanent residency at the earliest opportunity. Applicants must also have graduated from a high school in the state or received a GED.
The measure includes an authorization for $5 million in additional State Need Grant funding. If appropriated, that sum is enough to cover about 1,000 illegal aliens, although the money would go into the existing statewide pot available to all students, not be set aside just for illegal aliens. In the 2012-2013 school year, about 32,000 otherwise qualified applicants were denied financial aid due to a lack of funds.
Illegal aliens have had access to taxpayer-subsidized in-state tuition rate in Washington State since 2003, but this measure would increase the burden on taxpayers. Only three other states -- California, Texas, New Mexico -- currently provide financial aid to illegal aliens while 16 offer in-state tuition.
Read more in Reuters.