Immigrant Advocates Want Gov. Scott To Push Senate For Tuition Break
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — As state lawmakers enter the final week of the 60 day session, immigrant advocates are asking Gov. Rick Scott to employ more political muscle to convince them to pass a bill which will allow thousands of youths living in the country illegally to pay in-state tuition for the state's colleges.
On Monday, they plan to present Scott with thousands of signatures from around the state and country, asking him to step up efforts to get the bill to the Senate floor.
The bill has passed the House but remains stuck in Senate committees.
Seven students from South Florida will join dozens of others from around the state as part of "Dream University" taking their books and their classroom to the halls of the Florida Capitol Tuesday.
Scott last week publicly asked his fellow Republicans in the Senate to let the measure come up for a vote even though some GOP senators have already denounced the measure as "pandering" to Hispanics during his re-election campaign.
Sen. Joe Negron is one of the senators blocking the bill. He says only U.S. citizens and legal residents deserve tuition breaks.
Immigrants living in the country illegally who graduate from Florida high schools now pay four times the rate for Florida residents.
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