Looks like the Arkansas legislature has decided to offer in-state tuition rates to undocumented students (so called “nontraditional documented”), regardless of their legal status!
HB 1684 has been re-referred as amended by the Senate back to the House Education Committee for 4/4/2019. Here is the agenda set for the Education Committee in the House tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. If the bill passes out of the House Education Committee again, it will travel to the House floor for its of final destination of passage.
Secure Arkansas suggests that we contact all 100 members of the House once again and urge them to VOTE NO on HB 1684 to block aid to students with “nontraditional documented immigration status” which can mean unauthorized aliens… but it could mean anything!
“Nontraditional documented immigration status” was never defined in HB1684.
It appears that HB 1684 allows a state-supported institution of higher education to classify illegal alien students as in-state students, one way or another.
But Article 1, Section 8, Clause 4 of the United States Constitution provides that Congress has the power to “establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization.”
So, states are undermining or usurping federal law when allowing in-state tuition legislation that goes against federal law.
Click the link below to read the wording in the bill. We have also included the wording directly below. (We need to refute this bill line-upon-line in the near future… This bill still brings up many questions which must be answered.)
For An Act To Be Entitled
AN ACT CONCERNING IN-STATE TUITION AT A STATE-
SUPPORTED INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION; TO ALLOW A
STATE-SUPPORTED INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO
CLASSIFY CERTAIN STUDENTS AS IN-STATE FOR PURPOSES O
TUITION AND FEES AT A STATE-SUPPORTED INSTITUTION OF
HIGHER EDUCATION; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 60, Subchapter 2, is amended
to add an additional section to read as follows:
6-60-215. Nontraditional documented immigration status.
(a)(1) A state-supported institution of higher education may classify
a student as in-state, limited to the terms and purpose of tuition and fees
applicable to all programs of study at the state-supported institution of
higher education, if the student satisfies one (1) of the following
requirements:
(A) The student personally holds or is the child of a
person who holds a Federal Form I-766 United States Citizenship and
Immigration Services-issued Employment Authorization Document, known
popularly as a work permit;
(B) The student has verified that he or she is a resident
legally present in Arkansas and has immigrated from the Republic of the
Marshall Islands; or
(C)(i) The student’s request for an exemption under
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals has been approved by the United States Department of Homeland Security.
(ii) The student’s exemption shall not be expired,
or shall have been renewed.
(2) A student who satisfies one (1) of the requirements under
subdivision (a)(1) of this section shall have:
(A) Resided in this state for at least three (3) years at
the time the student applies for admission to a state-supported institution
of higher education; and
(B) Either:
(i) Graduated from a public or private high school
in this state; or
(ii) Received a high school equivalency diploma in
this state.
(b)(1) The Department of Higher Education shall promulgate rules
necessary to implement this section.
(2)(A) When adopting the initial rules to implement this
section, the final rule shall be filed with the Secretary of State for
adoption under § 25-15-204(f):
(i) On or before January 1, 2020; or
(ii) If approval under § 10-3-309 has not occurred
by January 1, 2020, as soon as practicable after approval under § 10-3-309.
(B) The Department of Higher Education shall file the
proposed rule with the Legislative Council under § 10-3-309(c) sufficiently
in advance of January 1, 2020, so that the Legislative Council may consider
the rule for approval before January 1, 2020.
It appears that the majority of the Arkansas legislators are in support of giving illegal aliens taxpayer-funded benefits.
Below is the Senate vote for HB 1684. Also remember that all “Yeas”, “Non-Voting”, and “Present” votes are the same as a “Yea” vote. Any “Non-Voting” and voting “Present” are people with no intestinal fortitude and don’t want anyone to know how they would have voted.
Yeas: 18 |
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Nays: 7 |
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Non Voting: 9 |
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Present: 1 |
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Below is the House vote for HB 1684. Also, remember that all “Yeas”, “Non-Voting” and “Present” votes are the same as a “Yea” vote. Any “Non-Voting” and voting “Present” are people with no intestinal fortitude and do not want anyone to know how they would’ve voted.
Nays
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Non Voting: 11 |
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In closing: unless something changes, the current legislative session will finally be over Friday, April 5, 2019 … thank goodness!
ACTION ITEM: Shown below are the email addresses for all 100 members of the House. Copy and paste them into your “SEND TO” in your email so you can email all of them at one time, and urge them to VOTE NO on HB 1684.
Stay aware, stay involved, and stay vigilant.
Remember: eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.
As always, you can find our email articles posted on our website: SecureArkansas.com. The Search box is a handy tool. For more information about a topic (such as CONVENTION), just type it into the Search box on our website, and click Enter!
Securing the blessings of liberty,
Secure Arkansas
securetherepublic.com/arkansas
info@securetherepublic.com