New York State Senate Rejects Tuition Aid Bill
The New York State Senate, surprisingly, voted down a bill on Monday that would allow illegal aliens to receive tuition financial aid at state colleges and universities. The measure received 30 votes in favor with 29 against, but it needed 32 for final passage.
The legislation would have given qualifying illegal aliens access to a variety of taxpayer-funded financial aid programs. It also called for the creation of a scholarship fund that could be accessed by illegal aliens.
All Republicans voted against the measure. They were joined by Democrats Simcha Felder from Brooklyn and Ted O'Brien from Rochester.
The State House had already passed the legislation and Gov. Andrew Cuomo was ready to sign the bill into law if it reached his desk.
Similar legislation was stopped in New Jersey earlier this year when Gov. Chris Christie threatened a veto. However, in the end, Christie signed a bill that granted in-state tuition to illegal aliens.
More than a dozen states now offer in-state tuition to illegal aliens contrary to federal law that prohibits states from granting the benefit without allowing all U.S. citizens to also receive the benefit. But only four states include tuition assistance similar to the measures included in the New York bill - California, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington.
For more information, see the New York Times.