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SALT LAKE CITY — After the Utah House tweaked a bill aimed at repealing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants Thursday, its sponsor abruptly pulled it from consideration — at least for the afternoon.
Lawmakers debated HB191 for about an hour before Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, apparently decided he'd had enough of his colleagues' tinkering. Another amendment was about to be moved when he decided to shelve it for the day. He may bring the bill up again at any time.
On a motion from Rep. Bill Wright, R-Holden, the House altered the measure to allow students whose parents can demonstrate they pay income taxes to be able to obtain in-state tuition. Wright said even undocumented taxpayers should receive the fruits of their labor.
One of the key questions you're going to have to ask yourselves is if you're OK with $5.5 million of your constituents' money going to subsidize illegal aliens going to college.
–Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman
"This is the best thing that is fair," he said.
Wimmer argued against the amendment, saying "it would still be a tremendous subsidy and redistribution for our dollars from taxpayers."
The amendment narrowly passed 38-36.
In debate prior to that, Wimmer said it's not fair for people who break the law to receive a benefit like in-state tuition.
"One of the key questions you're going to have to ask yourselves is if you're OK with $5.5 million of your constituents' money going to subsidize illegal aliens going to college," he said.
Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, said the issue is more than tax policy. "This is a human issue and a societal issue."
In 2002, the Legislature passed a bill allowing undocumented students who complete three years of high school in Utah and graduate to be eligible for in-state college tuition.
The issue is we're targeting the wrong kids. We need this little handful from this community to become part of the solution.
–Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Ogden
Currently, 643 non-citizen students attend Utah colleges and universities, generating $2.3 million in resident tuition. According to legislative fiscal analysts, that figure would be $5.5 million higher if they paid non-resident tuition.
Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Ogden, said he favors all illegal immigration enforcement bills the House passed, but this one goes after children in whom the state has already invested.
"The issue is we're targeting the wrong kids," he said. "We need this little handful from this community to become part of the solution."
The Utah System of Higher Education has no stance on the bill.
"We support the law as it stands right now," USHE spokeswoman Holly Braithwaite said last week. "We don't advocate change in the current law."
E-mail: romboy@desnews.com
