The soundness of allowing the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at Tennessee public colleges and universities is a no-brainer.
Although they weren't born in the United States, they're here in the state, they're willing to pay to attend college and they want to use their degrees to become net contributors to the state, so why should we make it more difficult for them?
The in-state tuition bill, after all, isn't a measure to give them free tuition, half tuition or in any way reward the behavior of their parents other than to acknowledge they happen to live in Tennessee. Neither would it be a vote by General Assembly members saying we approve of the largely unchecked flow of illegal immigrants into the country and we want it to continue.
It simply makes good economic sense.
In 2014, the legislature passed a bill allowing children - of illegal immigrants - who were born in the U.S. to receive in-state tuition at state public colleges and universities. A similar bill to the one being offered this year did not pass.
In 2015, the state Senate passed the bill regarding students not born here but brought here, but it failed by one vote in the state House. A year ago, even with the support of Gov. Bill Haslam, the House sponsor shelved the bill when it did not find enough support.
This year, so far, the measure has passed Senate and House education committees. But the General Assembly is still caught up in which chamber should move the bill forward.
Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, sponsored the bill in the legislature's 2015-2016 session and is sponsoring it again in the 2017-2018 session. It's his contention that illegal immigrant families are already paying the state's main tax, the sales tax, on items they purchase, so it could hardly be said they are not contributing to the state economy.
Children brought here by their illegal immigrant parents aren't eligible for the state's Tennessee Promise program, the last-chance scholarship to community colleges and technical schools, either. So in-state tuition is likely to be one of the few breaks they'll get in trying to better themselves.
In-state tuition and fees for students at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville is $12,724, for example. Out-of-state tuition is about two and a half times as much at $31,144.
We urge state senators and state representatives to move forward on this bill - not to sanction illegal immigration but to give those already here a better shot at being positive contributors to the state.