PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Urge New Jersey Legislature to Grant Tuition Parity for NJ Residents
  1. Signatures
    165 out of 500
    Petitioning
    1. The Governor of NJ (+ 5 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The Governor of NJ
      • The NJ State Senate
      • The NJ State House
      • Senator Jeff Van Drew
      • Senator Fred Madden
      • Senator James Beach
  2. Created By
    Prerna Lal
    Washington, DC
About this Petition Petition Letter

Two bills (S1036 and A990) would enable New Jersey to join 11 other states in allowing an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 undocumented students per year to pay resident rates provided they show good grades, solid character, and attend at least three years of high school in state.

Earlier this week, the New Jersey Assembly Appropriations Committee voted 7-4 and the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee voted 8-6 to send the legislation to the floor for the first time in New Jersey history.

The bill was endorsed by the outgoing Governor Jon Corzine's Blue Ribbon Advisory Panel on Immigrant Policy and the New Jersey legislature is trying to pass the bill before Governor-elect Chris Christie resumes office.There is no negative fiscal impact for this policy change.

Floor votes in the Assembly and Senate are scheduled as early as this Thursday. If New Jersey does not pass tuition parity in this legislative session, than the state may not get a chance to do so for another 8 years. Time is of the essence.

If you live in New Jersey, after signing the petition below, call these senators and ask them to support tuition parity for New Jersey residents - Senate Bill 1036.

Senator Sean T. Kean  - (732) 974-0400

Senator Anthony R. Bucco  - (973) 627-9700

Senator Michael J. Doherty  - (908) 835-0552

My name is ______. I live in ______. I am a member of ________ and I support S1036 and I am urging Senator _____ to do the same. Immigrant's rights are human rights and one of those is the right to an education. This bill is budget neutral. These children deserve the opportunity to fulfill their future promise so that they can continue to contribute to our state.


Recent Signatures

Support S1036-A990 - Tuition Parity for New Jersey Residents

Greetings,

As your constituent, I am calling upon you to support the S1036/A990 bill that would allow undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition rates at public institutions of higher education. This will benefit a small but crucial group of students that have graduated with good scores who have attended at least three years of high school in New Jersey.

This bill would simply allow tuition parity for all New Jersey residents and has no negative fiscal impact. Currently, these students are required to pay out of state tuition rates which impedes their ability to attend college and our ability as a state to benefit from their hard-work and talent.

This is not a giveaway but an opportunity for young immigrants and long-time residents of New Jersey to reach their potential and eventually contribute to state coffers. It makes more sense than educating and investing in students from K-12 only to waste their potential by enacting barriers to higher education or deporting them to foreign countries. New Jersey should pass this bill and reap the benefits of a more educated, tax-paying immigrant population. It's a no-brainer for the Garden State.

I look forward to securing your support on this crucial piece of legislation. Please do not let New Jersey down.

[Your name]

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