ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland Senate is preparing to vote on a bill that would grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants at Maryland’s public universities and colleges.
Senate approval would send the bill to the governor’s desk. The House and Senate passed slightly different versions of the same bill, which now have to be reconciled.
Illegal immigrants would have to attend community college for two years and prove that their parents paid Maryland income taxes for at least three years before they could qualify for the reduced rate. The House attached several amendments that could present an obstacle in the Senate, however.
One of the changes would require male students to register for the draft, or Selective Service, before qualifying for the lower rate.
In-state tuition is roughly $8,400 annually, while out-of-state students pay more than $25,000 annually.
Opponents to the bill sent out last-minute calls urging lawmakers to block the legislation on Monday.
“We can still stop … [the] quest for in-state tuition and amnesty for Maryland’s illegal aliens,” read an e-mail from anti-immigration group Help Save Maryland.
About two dozen supporters of the bill gathered in front of the State House Monday morning wearing T-shirts labeled with the state’s immigrant rights group, Casa de Maryland.
Lawmakers are rushing to push through as many bills as possible on Monday, the last day of the 2011 legislative session.
