NASHVILLE - The House sponsor of a bill that grants in-state college tuition rates to qualified Tennesseans brought to the U.S. illegally as children agrees that 2016 campaign politics and other factors may block final passage of the measure this year.
Rep. Mark White, R-Memphis, who pushed the "Tuition Equity" measure last year with Sen. Todd Gardenhire of Chattanooga, agrees with his colleague's recently expressed fear the bill could get "Trumped" in the state House by the presidential campaign.
"It's hard to have that conversation in today's environment, with people pouring across the [U.S.] border during the summer and everything that's going on in the Middle East right now," White said.
The bill passed the Senate in 2015 with a near two-thirds majority, but failed in the House by a single vote.
Gardenhire's comment to Times Free Press reporters and editors referred to GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump, whose fiery rhetoric about Mexicans entering the U.S. and calls for a temporary ban on Muslim refugees from Syria and other Middle Eastern countries have helped ignite his candidacy.
White said a number of unrelated issues are combining to create problems for the bill.
"I've had several members say, 'Why, I just can't vote for it because of [President] Obama,'" he said. "I say it really doesn't have anything to do with him. What I'm trying to do is protect our state, since we do have this large immigration problem that's the federal government's fault."
All told, White estimates as many as 25,000 undocumented students have been brought as children to Tennessee by parents who came illegally. When they graduate high school and go on to college, they pay out-of-state tuition rates that can be three times the cost charged to Tennessee residents.
The youths are already in Tennessee, White said, and many can't afford to pay out-of-state tuition. As a result, he noted, they may not receive high-level education that will qualify them for better jobs, which will allow them to "pay more taxes."
Eben Cathey, director of advocacy for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Center (TIRCC) said he believes the bill has actually "picked up support" in the House.
He said advocates have met with legislators all across the state and "are feeling really optimistic."
"We've connected with businesses, colleges, lots of community groups, churches," he said.
"People in Tennessee understand this bill is going to help kids go to college," Cathey said. "And the support has grown immensely over the last year. I think this year we're going to see a large share of support from many legislators."
The bill affects students deemed lawfully present in the U.S. through the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Children brought illegally to the U.S. by their parents may apply for lawful presence and a work permit if they meet a set of requirements.
These include being under age 16 when entering the U.S.; having lived here continuously for at least five years; graduating from high school and passing a criminal background check. They also must have arrived before June 15, 2007; have been 31 years or younger in 2012; complete a lengthy application and pay $465.
Only those who meet the requirements could attend University of Tennessee and Tennessee Board of Regents institutions at in-state tuition rates. They would not be eligible for lottery-funded Hope Scholarships or the Tennessee Promise, which provides free tuition to community colleges through last-dollar scholarships.
By denying Tennessee students access to higher education at in-state rates, White said, "we're really hurting ourselves."
"I see it as a states' rights issue," he said.
Still, White said, "you've got to be careful about moving forward and we may not be able to get it out of Calendar and Rules [Committee]. I think we're about four votes short there based on the votes last session."
The House bill failed last year with 49 representatives voting yes and 47 voting no. A bill must receive 50 votes in the 99-member chamber to pass.
The bill then went back to Calendar and Rules Committee. White said he plans to talk with committee members "to see where we are and see if we can move it."
Because this is the second year of the two-year 109th General Assembly, if the bill doesn't pass in the 2016 session, "we'd have to start from scratch next year" in 2017, White said.
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com, 615-255-0550 or follow via twitter at AndySher1.