Free Republic

The sponsor of a bill to give illegal immigrants in-state tuition says the legislation won't move forward until it becomes clear whether Congress is taking similar action nationally. Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, said he wanted to see the latest draft of the so-called DREAM Act, which would give illegal immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children ... Out-of-state tuition can often be two to four times as much as the in-state rate. A Senate education committee approved the bill after a contentious hearing, but Romer's bill hasn't hit the floor of the Senate chamber yet. But Romer said the...

A bill to allow illegal immigrants to qualify for in-state college tuition may have the best chance of passing in years because of the support of some key Colorado Republican businessmen. The latest effort, pushed by state Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, would allow illegal immigrants ... to get the in-state tuition rate at state colleges and universities, which would save the undocumented students thousands of dollars. The bill is scheduled to get its first committee hearing Thursday. A bill passed last year clarified that U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants are Colorado residents and thus eligible for in-state tuition. Romer's bill...

The debate over offering in-state college tuition to undocumented immigrants is making its way through the state Capitol again... It's the fourth time this decade Colorado's Legislature has taken up the issue, which crosses party lines. Democratic Sen. Chris Romer, the bill's sponsor, said he hopes lawmakers see it as an educational and economic matter instead of an immigration issue. Ten states have passed legislation since 2001 granting in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants who meet certain requirements. Those states include California, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New York, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, Oklahoma and Texas. New Jersey has tried several times.

A bill proposing to grant in-state tuition to all Colorado high school students, including illegal-immigrants, was introduced Friday by Sen. Chris Romer. "For us to be an economic success, we need to make sure all these kids can get into college," said Romer, D-Denver. "And right now a small number of students can't go to college because their immigration status." "I firmly believe we shouldn't punish children for the decisions of adults," Romer said... Romer's argument may be more likely to succeed in these trying economic times. In fact, he's already touting support from Republican businessmen around the state, including...

To many college students, a perfect weekend in Colorado is found on the snow-covered slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Whether you ski or snowboard, the only things you need are a jacket and a ride to the mountain. However, if some Colorado lawmakers have their way, the drive to the ski resorts could become more costly. Anyone who has been to the slopes, especially on the weekends, knows that the worst part of the day is the traffic along I-70. From the large trucks to the vans full of out-of-state tourists who don't know how to drive on snow, the...

Chris Romer is a freshman Colorado Senator. He's a bright fellow with a degree from Stanford in economics and more than 20 years of experience in the private sector as a public finance investment banker, specializing in municipal and state budgets. The son of former Gov. Roy Romer, he has a good political pedigree. He describes himself as a "lifelong Democrat," but I don't necessarily hold that against him. After all, Ronald Reagan was once a Democrat. Romer was awarded a seat on the Education Committee. Since Colorado governments - at all levels, combined - spend more money on education...