Voces de la Frontera and Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES) were in Madison to defend public education and in-state tuition rights.
Photos by HNG
Students protest repeal of in-state tuition at Senate finance committee hearing, but meeting time to convene changed several times.
By H. Nelson Goodson
June 2, 2011
Madison - On Thursday, members from Voces de la Frontera (VDLF) from Milwaukee and students went to Madison to address the proposed intent by the Republican controlled legislature to repeal in-state tuition in Wisconsin. The state Senate Joint Committee on Finance scheduled meeting to debate Governor Scott Walker's budget including a proposed repeal of in-state tuition for undocumented students in the state was delayed several times. The meeting was delayed for more than four hours forcing people and some students with limited time to leave and return to Milwaukee.
Republican legislators are pushing to eliminate in-state tuition for undocumented students, despite the parents of the students effected are taxpayers. The parents considered undocumented do pay property taxes, sales taxes and there income is taxed as required by state law. But, they don't get tax refunds or reimburse at the end of the year. How much has accumulated and what happens to the tax contributions that undocumented immigrants have paid for the last ten years? The state budget office or both the Representative and Senate finance committees have yet to address the issue and make public the actual tax contributions undocumented immigrants and their families including Hispanic businesses do contribute to the economic growth of the state.
The Senate committee scheduled 1:00 p.m. budget meeting for Thursday was delayed until 3:00 p.m., then again delayed to 5:00 p.m., but most people and students continued to wait for it to convene. VDLF reported at 6:30 p.m., that the meeting hadn't started as previously announced.
State Senator Lena Taylor (D-Milw.) came in to the hearing room and told those waiting for hours that the Republican senators might not convene until they are ready to do so. Some of the people responded by saying, the Senate Republicans know that students who will be effected by repealing in-state tuition are present and are delaying the meeting hoping to diminish the crowds.
A VDLF press release stated that, in 2009, Wisconsin became only the eleventh state in the U.S. to pass this historic educational civil rights legislation. Under Governor Scott Walker's (R) current budget proposal, undocumented students who have graduated from Wisconsin high schools will no longer be eligible to receive in-state tuition rates.
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director of Voces de la Frontera stated, "The public hearings of the Joint Committee on Finance were a joke- they did not allow genuine and democratic input by the public. Senator Alberta Darling has repeatedly ignored requests to meet with diverse youth who will be affected by the education budget and repeal of in-state tuition rights. We are coming to the hearings to highlight the devastating inequities in Governor Walker's budget, which forces taxpayers to pay for the children of wealthy families to attend private schools while attacking the quality of education for working class families and the poor."
Several days ago, the state of Illinois passed an In-state tuition bill.
Connected by MOTOBLUR™ on T-Mobile
Photos by HNG
Students protest repeal of in-state tuition at Senate finance committee hearing, but meeting time to convene changed several times.
By H. Nelson Goodson
June 2, 2011
Madison - On Thursday, members from Voces de la Frontera (VDLF) from Milwaukee and students went to Madison to address the proposed intent by the Republican controlled legislature to repeal in-state tuition in Wisconsin. The state Senate Joint Committee on Finance scheduled meeting to debate Governor Scott Walker's budget including a proposed repeal of in-state tuition for undocumented students in the state was delayed several times. The meeting was delayed for more than four hours forcing people and some students with limited time to leave and return to Milwaukee.
Republican legislators are pushing to eliminate in-state tuition for undocumented students, despite the parents of the students effected are taxpayers. The parents considered undocumented do pay property taxes, sales taxes and there income is taxed as required by state law. But, they don't get tax refunds or reimburse at the end of the year. How much has accumulated and what happens to the tax contributions that undocumented immigrants have paid for the last ten years? The state budget office or both the Representative and Senate finance committees have yet to address the issue and make public the actual tax contributions undocumented immigrants and their families including Hispanic businesses do contribute to the economic growth of the state.
The Senate committee scheduled 1:00 p.m. budget meeting for Thursday was delayed until 3:00 p.m., then again delayed to 5:00 p.m., but most people and students continued to wait for it to convene. VDLF reported at 6:30 p.m., that the meeting hadn't started as previously announced.
State Senator Lena Taylor (D-Milw.) came in to the hearing room and told those waiting for hours that the Republican senators might not convene until they are ready to do so. Some of the people responded by saying, the Senate Republicans know that students who will be effected by repealing in-state tuition are present and are delaying the meeting hoping to diminish the crowds.
A VDLF press release stated that, in 2009, Wisconsin became only the eleventh state in the U.S. to pass this historic educational civil rights legislation. Under Governor Scott Walker's (R) current budget proposal, undocumented students who have graduated from Wisconsin high schools will no longer be eligible to receive in-state tuition rates.
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, Executive Director of Voces de la Frontera stated, "The public hearings of the Joint Committee on Finance were a joke- they did not allow genuine and democratic input by the public. Senator Alberta Darling has repeatedly ignored requests to meet with diverse youth who will be affected by the education budget and repeal of in-state tuition rights. We are coming to the hearings to highlight the devastating inequities in Governor Walker's budget, which forces taxpayers to pay for the children of wealthy families to attend private schools while attacking the quality of education for working class families and the poor."
Several days ago, the state of Illinois passed an In-state tuition bill.
Connected by MOTOBLUR™ on T-Mobile
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