Currently, the children of illegal immigrants are allowed to pay in-state tuition at Kansas community colleges and universities - if they meet certain criteria. But some lawmakers want to change that.
A House committee took testimony Tuesday on a plan to revoke the in-state tuition, which is currently used by about 650 students in Kansas.
Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach says the current law is unfair to legal immigrants, who may not be eligible for in-state tuition.
“Kansas law currently only rewards you if you are an illegal alien. That is a perverse incentive. It should never have been in Kansas law in the first place,” says Kobach.
Students who use the provision to pay in-state tuition told lawmakers that they grew up in Kansas and identify as Americans.
Kansas Board of Regents member Fred Logan also spoke in favor of the current law, calling it a pro-economic-growth policy.
