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Comment by Leanne King on May 1, 2014 at 9:20pm

This came in my email today. Thought you would find it interesting.

State senators revive, advance immigrant-tuition bill
By Tonya Alanez

4:19 p.m. EDT, April 30, 2014

TALLAHASSEE—

A senator’s controversial, presumed-dead quest to secure in-state college tuition for students whose parents immigrated to the country illegally rose from the ashes Wednesday.

Under the measure, undocumented students would be eligible to compete for fee waivers granting them in-state tuition if they had attended a Florida high school for at least three years prior to graduation. They would not be eligible for financial aid.

The bills sponsor, Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, encouraged his fellow lawmakers to help remedy an “inequitable situation” that now penalizes children brought to the United States through no choice of their own.

Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, feared Florida would be throwing out the welcome mat for illegal immigrants.

Would the proposed legislation not send the message that “we're trying encourage illegal immigrants to come to Florida, to move here, and live here and go to our [schools]?”

Latvala said the bill laid out enough criteria to dissuade that.

“I don’t think we’re opening the door to an influx of new people,” Latvala said. “I just don’t think that that’s the message we’re sending.”

Wearing handmade, bright-orange felt mortarboards, students who could benefit from the proposed legislation have rallied in the state Capitol throughout the week. About two dozen of them sat overlooking the Senate chamber during the nearly one-hour debate.

Such students now pay up to three or four times the in-state tuition rates to attend Florida state colleges and universitiies.

Senators took up House bill 851, sponsored by Rep. Jeanette Nuñez. R-Miami, which passed in the lower chamber on an 81-33 vote March 20. Because it was amended, it now must return to the House for another approval.

The Senate version of the bill (SB 1400) had seemingly died earlier this month when Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, chair of the Appropriations Committee, refused to bring the bill before his committee.

Negron wrote in a statement that he couldn't justify using Florida tax dollars to defray the cost of tuition for students whose parents had not entered the country legally.

House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, has touted the proposed legislation as a primary goal of this session.

And though elected on a wave of anti-immigration promises, Gov. Rick Scott supports the measure and earlier this month called upon lawmakers to hear the matter out.

The proposed legislation also restricts state universities from seeking automatic, annual 15-percent tuition increases without legislative approval. The increase requests would be limited to 6 percent a year.

Comment by Leanne King on May 1, 2014 at 8:33pm

Well I got one reply already.

    Thank you for your e-mail message. Because I receive such an overwhelming number of daily e-mails, I send this automatic response to verify receipt of your correspondence.  Unfortunately it is not always possible for me to personally respond so I use this medium primarily to obtain opinions from constituents regarding legislative issues. However, it is important that your name, address with zip code and phone number be on your e-mail in the event that I need to contact you.

Should you require more information or assistance, please contact me at the numbers given below. I will be happy to assist you.

DISTRICT OFFICE:

(904) 287-4222; Fax 888-263-3475

113 Nature Walk Pkwy, Unit 106, St. Augustine, FL  32092-3066

CAPITOL OFFICE:

(850) 487-5006; Fax: 850-410-4802

Suite 400, The Capitol, 404 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me. Your thoughts are important to me and help keep me well informed. Please be assured I will take note of your comments and appreciate both your input and your activism.

Senator John Thrasher
Florida Senate District 6