Press Release Rep. Michael Dembrow Oregon House District 45 NE Portland, Maywood Park, Parkrose
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 2nd, 2011		CONTACT: Michelle Rogelstad (503) 986-1445

Rep. Dembrow Pushes to Get Tuition Equity a Floor Vote

Initiates Discharge Petition Process to Dislodge SB742 from Committee Gridlock

Salem – Rep. Michael Dembrow (D-Portland) today announced that he has filed a discharge petition to bring Senate Bill 742, Tuition Equity, to a full vote of the Oregon House. “This issue is too important to become a victim of process and committee gridlock,” said Dembrow. “This bill deserves a floor debate and a vote, and I am confident that it has the votes to pass this chamber.”

SB742 would allow undocumented students to pay the in-state tuition rate at public universities if they meet a set of criteria. To qualify, students would need to have attended an Oregon high school for at least three concurrent years and graduated; attended elementary or secondary school in the U.S. for at least five concurrent years; been admitted to an OUS school; and signed an affidavit of intent to achieve legal status.

“These are our students,” said Dembrow. “They are examples of exactly what we want our young people to do: work hard, get good grades, and dream big. Many have lived here virtually their entire lives. They have no other country to go to. They have plenty to offer this state. All they ask is the opportunity to pay the same rate of tuition that their peers pay.”

The discharge petition is a process that House members created at the beginning of the session to provide a path for bills to reach the floor in the event of committee gridlock. Now that the petition has been read on the House floor, it will be kept by the Chief Clerk of the House for five calendar days, expiring on Tuesday, June 7th. At the end of that period, if at least 31 of 60 members have signed their names on the petition, SB742 will be removed from the Rules Committee and brought to an immediate vote on the floor of the House.

“These students are the collateral damage of the immigration debate in this country. That’s wrong, and we have an opportunity to change that,” said Dembrow. “It’s time to break down this artificial barrier and give these students a real shot at a higher education.”

SB742 previously passed the Senate in March with a bipartisan vote of 18-11. Thirteen states have passed Tuition Equity legislation and eight states have introduced Tuition Equity this year.

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