New bill may help ‘Dreamers’ qualify for in-state tuition

A proposal that would allow those without U.S. citizenship who attend Arizona high schools to receive in-state tuition to Arizona universities and community colleges has cleared its first hurdle at the state Legislature.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 1044, introduced by Sen. Paul Boyer, R-Glendale, would reverse parts of Proposition 300, a voter-approved measure that said people without lawful immigration status can’t receive tuition waivers, grants, scholarships or financial aid that is subsidized by state dollars.

The resolution was passed out of the Senate Education Committee Tuesday but still needs approval from both chambers and approval from Arizona voters in the next general election. The resolution passed 6-2, receiving yes votes from Republicans and Democrats alike, with two Republicans voting no.

Maria Dominguez, a sophomore at Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix, said she grew up in Phoenix but currently does not qualify for in-state tuition or state-based merit scholarships.

“This bill motivates me to further my education and become the first one in my family to attend college,” she told lawmakers during Tuesday’s hearing. “I’ll be graduating high school in 2023.”

The legislation would deem students eligible as long as they attended an Arizona high school for at least two years.

Democrats expressed support for the resolution but said it did not go far enough, because it does not fully repeal Proposition 300, which also bars those without authorization to be in the country to receive child-care assistance.

The battle over in-state tuition has raged for years. In 2018, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled against giving instate tuition to young immigrants covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The Arizona Board of Regents in 2019 adopted a somewhat lower tuition rate for those students, about 150% of in-state tuition.