WASHINGTON – On Nov. 6, voters will weigh in on critical issues facing regional states, including the Virginia government’s right to seize private property and the issues of gay marriage, tuition for undocumented immigrants and expanded gambling in Maryland.
WTOP has compiled additional information on some of these topics. Take a moment to learn a bit more about what will be on the ballot this fall.
Maryland Statewide Ballot
Question 4: Public Institutions of Higher Education – Tuition Rates
Referendum Petition
This law – known as the Dream Act – would allow undocumented immigrants to get in-state tuition to a state community college, provided they attended high school in Maryland for at least three years, they or their parents/guardians filed state income taxes, they intend to apply for permanent residency and they have registered with the selective service system, if required.
These students would then be eligible for in-state tuition to a four-year public university or college if they complete 60 credit hours or graduated from a Maryland community college.
The ballot question states these students would not be counted as in-state students for “purposes of counting undergraduate enrollment.”
It also extends the time in which honorably discharged veterans can qualify for in-state tuition.
How it will appear on the ballot:
- For the Referred Law
- Against the Referred Law
“Establishes that individuals, including undocumented immigrants, are eligible to pay in-state tuition rates at community colleges in Maryland, provided the student meets certain conditions relating to attendance and graduation from a Maryland high school, filing of income taxes, intent to apply for permanent residency, and registration with the selective service system (if required); makes such students eligible to pay in-state tuition rates at a four-year public college or university if the student has first completed 60 credit hours or graduated from a community college in Maryland; provides that students qualifying for in-state tuition rates by this method will not be counted as in-state students for purposes of counting undergraduate enrollment; and extends the time in which honorably discharged veterans may qualify for in-state tuition rates.”
More Information:
According to The Washington Post, analysts say the Dream Act could cost the state $3.5 million per year and lost tuition would be covered by universities. Others say the law would provide economic benefits through future tax revenue and lower incarceration rates.
The ACLU notes that “all students have to earn acceptance to college; this law only affects tuition rates.”
For more information, visit the Maryland State Board of Elections website.
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