Speech #1040267546

But. the bill still raises some issues that. if never addressed. could be counterproductive. I will discuss those in a moment. The real issue at hand is that illegal immigration imposes a giant unfunded mandate on States and local school districts. Failure to stem illegal immigration is a failure of the Federal Government. But the consequences of failure are paid by State and local governments. Teachers and administrators in Tucsons public schools have told me that as many as 40 percent of pupils in certain schools are illegal immigrants. California estimates the annual cost of educating illegal immigrants in that State alone at S1.8 billion. Im sure State legislatures and school boards impacted by illegal immigration could find better uses for their taxpayers hard earned dollars than spending money to educate kids here illegally. Now this bill will not throw any kids out of school immediately. and some States may choose never to avail themselves of its provisions. Rather. this bill allows States to decide for themselves whether to provide free public education benefits to illegal immigrants who are not already enrolled in public schools. Further. it allows illegal immigrants already in the school system to receive a free public education through the highest grade in their current school level--although only if they remain within the same school district. To the bills credit. it does not force the States to adopt a particular course. States could choose to continue to educate illegal immigrants for free. charge them nonresident tuitionbut not deny them an education. However. we must work to ensure that some of the unanswered questions in H.R. 4134 are resolved. For example. will school districts be required to notify the Immigration and Naturalization Service about students and their families who are illegally in the United Stateseffectively making school districts into immigration police? What are the legal consequences if they do? Or if they dont?