Arguably one of the worst bills of this session was Senate Bill 170, Democrat Senator Chris Romer’s proposal to give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. This bill was terrible on all fronts: it would have violated Federal law, increased tuition rates for legal students, encouraged more illegal immigrants to flock to Colorado, and drained university budgets when they were facing a 50% cut. This bill would not have helped the illegal immigrants who took advantage of the subsidized tuition rate: federal and state law prohibit illegal immigrants from working anywhere, regardless of their level of education.
The citizen outrage over this bill was unparalleled. Citizen activists for affordable education partnered with Coloradans concerned about the economy, national security, and the rule of law to defeat this bill. Chris Romer has promised to run the bill again next year. If Coloradans remain as engaged and active as they were this year, I expect the bill will meet a swift death.
