Sneaky Colorado Dems Advance Bill To Grant In-state Tuition to Illegal Aliens

A Senate committee this morning approved a bill that would grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, an action that Republicans said was only possible through a sneaky maneuver by Democrats.

The Senate Appropriations Committee had been scheduled to take up the bill, Senate Bill 170, on Friday. However, Sen. Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, earlier this week called a meeting of the committee for Wednesday, with the bill on the schedule.

Sponsored by Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, the bill would grant in-state tuition to any student who had attended a Colorado high school for at least three years and graduated, regardless of their immigration status.

The bill's prospects had looked grim heading into the Friday meeting. Though Democrats hold a 6-4 majority on the committee, Sen. Moe Keller, D-Wheat Ridge, had said she would be a no vote, likely making for a 5-5 tie, meaning the bill would have died.

But supporters of the bill caught a lucky break. Sen. Ted Harvey, a Republican from Highlands Ranch, last week said he would be out of town until Thursday to attend to family matters. Read more here.