Ahead of the upcoming legislative session, State Rep. Kyle Biedermann (R–Fredericksburg) filed legislation Wednesday to end the practice of public universities offering discounted in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens.
“I am proud to fight for the taxpayer,” said Biedermann. “Magnet policies that benefit illegal immigrants hurt citizens and those who immigrated here legally. We must remove these magnets and protect our border.”
The platform of the Republican Party of Texas, which was adopted overwhelmingly by grassroots Republicans across the state during their convention this year, calls for the end of the practice, stating in no uncertain terms, “We oppose in-state college tuition for illegal aliens.”
House Bill 413 is similar to legislation filed in previous years by State Reps. Jonathan Stickland (R–Bedford) and Pat Fallon (R–Prosper). Those efforts were killed then by State Rep. Byron Cook (R–Corsicana) at the behest of Speaker Joe Straus. In an interview ahead of the 2017 legislative session, Straus called the policy of subsidizing illegal immigrants with tax dollars “perfectly acceptable.”
With neither Straus nor Cook returning in January and Fallon moving over to the Senate, however, this Republican priority may receive a better chance with a new speaker of the House in the new year.
