ASSET Bill Giving Colorado Undocumented Students In-State Tuition Clears First Committee

Colorado's Senate Education Committee approved of this year's ASSET bill on Thursday, which would give some undocumented students in-state tuition.

“The governor and I support this bill because we want Colorado to have a strong economy,” Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia said during yesterday's testimony.

Read the full bill here.

The bill cleared its first hurdle 6-3 with one Republican voting in favor with the Democrats.

“We’re a nation of immigrants,” state Sen. Owen Hill, R-Colorado Springs, said Thursday. "We’ve studied this for a while, and we’ve got to address the moral issues of our age.”

This year marks the seventh time Democrats have pushed for ASSET in the Legislature, or, "Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow."

This year's version of the ASSET bill (pdf) allows students to pay the same tuition rate as Colorado residents, provided that the student attends at least three years of high school education or completes their general equivalency diploma (GED) in Colorado and is accepted to an in-state college or university. Undocumented students would also have to submit an affidavit saying they have sought or will seek lawful status as soon as they are able.

Last year the bill passed the Senate only to die in the House on a party line vote.