NASHVILLE - Republican gubernatorial candidate Diane Black today blasted a Tennessee House panel's approval of a bill on Tuesday that would allow undocumented students who attended or graduated from a state high school to qualify for paying in-state tuition rates at public colleges.
"I have said many times that if the state legislature were to pass a bill providing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, I would veto it," Black, a congressman from Gallatin, said in a statement. "In-state tuition is a benefit provided to legal residents of our state, and it should stay that way."
Black said that "too many times, so-called conservatives get elected promising to fight against liberal policies, only to embrace them once in office. It's a shame to see our state legislature do just that, particularly without real debate or even a recorded vote in committee. It's time for the true conservatives in the legislature to stand up and say no."
House Education Administration and Planning Subcommittee members on Tuesday approved the bill on a voice vote. The measure is sponsored by Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, and Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, and has support from Republican Gov. Bill Haslam, who is term limited from seeking a third term.
All four major Republican candidates in the Aug. 2 GOP primary have said they oppose the in-state tuition measure. That lists includes House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, whose decision not to cast a vote on a similar measure caused it to fail on the House floor by one vote.
Gardenhire says the bill is one conservatives should support, arguing that the students already live in Tennessee and pay the state's sales tax, the largest source of state revenue.
By allowing the students, who currently can attend but are required to pay out-of-state tuition rates, Gardenhire says, they are better positioned to graduate, find better paying jobs, avoid costly government services and contribute to the state.