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Example: the email address for Rep. Behning of District 91 is H91@in.gov
Toll Free Numbers for Indiana House:
1-800-382-9841 and 1-800-382-9842
Please call Monday morning, April 15, 2013 and tell your State Representative to vote NO on SB207. The House Session begins at 10 a.m. Eastern. You may watch the vote and debate on SB207 in the House Chamber on Monday via webcast at this link: http://www.in.gov/legislative/2441.htm
Your calls and emails are working! Read this:
http://heraldbulletin.com/local/x1319131704/Push-to-roll-back-ban-on-in-state-tuition-for-immigrants-stops-short
Please keep it up so we can kill the bill now! If we don't, the fight will continue when SB207 goes back to the Senate and if it goes on to the Governor.
Recap: Originally, Indiana state universities asked your state legislators to pass 2 separate bills. SB177 would give in-state tuition to certain citizens who are veterans but only if they prove they are legal residents of Indiana. Veterans would have to provide documentation such as an Indiana driver's license, vehicle registration, voter registration or proof of employment in Indiana.
SB207 would give in-state tuition rates to certain illegal immigrants who were simply enrolled in college in 2011 without requiring them to prove legal residence. Unequal and unnfair!
On April 11th, both bills were rolled into one--SB207. It's almost as though veterans are being used as pawns to give state legislators cover to help illegal aliens!
Why do I say this? Because the universities control their own Resident Tuition Policy. They have the power to change their policy to give in-state tuition to all honorably discharged Veterans--without any legislation whatsoever! Read this from Purdue's website:
"The Indiana legislature, through state statute, has delegated to Indiana's institutions of higher education the authority to determine when a person becomes eligible for Resident Student status for the purpose of paying fees at the university. As a land-grant, state-supported institution of higher education, Purdue University recognizes the significance of the issue of residence classification. Therefore, its Board of Trustees has established different tuition and fee rates for Residents and non-Residents." http://www.purdue.edu/policies/business-finance/iid1.html
If the veterans don't get in-state rates because SB207 fails to pass--put the blame where it belongs--on the universities! Don't blame the legislators who were put in this predicament by the universities!
Prior to 2011, the universities were violating their own residence classification policies in order to help illegals. Had they obeyed their own rules, there would have been no illegal aliens enrolled in their universities! This is a quote from Indiana University's policy, "A non-U.S. citizen will not be considered for residence classification under this policy unless the Office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has granted the individual either lawful permanent resident status or an immigration status that would permit the non-U.S. citizen to establish a domicile in Indiana."
Read more here: http://registrar.indiana.edu/resiinfo.shtml
But, since Indiana passed a law in 2011 that prevented illegals from getting in-state tuition rates, the universities have to get SB207 passed before they can go back to giving illegals a break.
SB207 creates a double standard where citizens are required to follow legal procedures but illegal immigrants are not. Indiana has not entirely barred illegal aliens from attending college. But we should not be required to give them our cheapest tuition rate and make it easier for them to graduate and compete against our own children, veterans and other citizens for scarce jobs. This is unfair! The law-abiding people of Indiana should not be forced to pay for the mistakes of the illegal immigrant students' parents. If they want all the perks of citizenship, then they need to follow the rules.
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