Tennessee's Undocumented Students Get Second Chance At In-State Tuition

NASHVILLE, TN — A renewed effort to allow Tennessee students who are undocumented immigrants to pay the lower, in-state tuition at the state's public colleges cleared a key hurdle this week, giving hope to supporters.

The measure, sponsored by Chattanooga Republican Sen. Todd Gardenhire, advanced from the Senate Education Committee 7-2. A similar bill last year was approved by the Senate but failed by a single vote in the House.

A group of 150 students gathered at the Capitol Wednesday and were given a show of support by Gov. Bill Haslam, who took pictures with the group. While the governor had indicated his support for the bill in the past, meeting with the group was seen as a strong signal to lawmakers, according to The Tennessean.

A spokesperson for the governor said the effort dovetails with the governor's initiatives to increase college enrollment and graduation rates. Opponents of the bill have said it could encourage further illegal immigration to Tennessee, but even ardent conservatives, like Gardenhire himself, say that not allowing the students to go on to college when they want to essentially wastes the money the state spends to educate them through 12th grade.

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