Commentary: ASSET bill is morally, fiscally sound

Colorado

January 24, 2012

By Moira Cullen, DFER Colorado State Director

(From Education News Colorado, January 24th 2012)

This commentary was submitted by Moira Cullen, Colorado state director of Democrats for Education Reform.

Senate Bill 12-015, the ASSET Bill, has its first committee hearing this Thursday, January 26th. The bill enables Colorado high school graduates — regardless of their immigration status — to attend the state’s colleges and universities at a cost between in-state tuition paid by other residents and tuition paid by students from outside Colorado.

Immigration is one of the cultural third rails of our times: Just about no one of any political party will defend current immigration policy. Rightly so. Let’s all agree that immigration policy is a huge mess that has resisted the few sincere attempts to try to fix it.

But in this burst of honesty, let’s also admit that anything that touches the third rail of immigration is an issue where emotion too often clouds judgment. And clear-eyed judgment strongly suggests that this is a bill that should be passed.

To start, let’s be clear about what is not in the bill: Taxpayer subsidies. Under the ASSET bill, undocumented students will pay both their share and the state’s share. There is zero cost to Colorado’s taxpayers, and an additional cost to the undocumented students – who will pay on average about 40 percent more than traditional in-state tuition. The cost of college for undocumented students is neither free nor subsidized.