A bill to grant immigrants in-state tuition hits the Oregon House floor Friday and is expected to be sent on to the Senate after what should be an emotional debate.
The measure
and House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, said Thursday in an interview: "The bill will pass."
would grant in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants who have lived here at least five years, have graduated from an Oregon high school after at least three years of attendance and show they intend to become a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
While the measure is expected to directly affect a relatively small number of students, the issue is widely seen as an important indicator of the state's approach to immigration issues.
The bill faces heated opposition in the House. Reps. Gene Whisnant, R-Sunriver, and Vic Gilliam, R-Silverton, intend to offer a minority report that would call for the new law to expire in 2016 unless renewed by the Legislature. They said they were concerned about the potential cost of the bill.
A similar measure
in what was then an evenly divided House. With the Democrats now in charge of both chambers, the politics have now clearly shifted in favor of the measure.
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