A bill that would give illegal immigrants in-state tuition at North Carolina universities and community colleges has proven to be controversial with the citizens and legal residents of the state.

In-state students pay far less tuition than those from out of state. Under current law, a student must be a “legal resident” of North Carolina (not necessarily a citizen but a legal resident) in order to qualify for in-state university tuition.

House Bill 1183 would grant in-state tuition to any student, whether or not a legal resident, who attended and graduated from a high school in North Carolina. The bill provides that those who are not legal residents would have to file an affidavit “stating that the person has filed an application to legalize his or her immigration status or will file an application as soon as he or she is eligible to do so.”

Opponents of the bill say it is unfair for taxpayers who are citizens, or legal immigrants, to subsidize the cost of the college education of illegal immigrants. Since the leading universities admit only a limited number of applicants, each illegal immigrant receiving in-state tuition would displace a legal resident.

Some legal experts question whether it is Constitutional to give illegal immigrants a benefit that is denied to legal residents of other states.

The bill provoked a public outcry the day it was introduced. It was a subject of discussion by Rush Limbaugh and several in-state talk-radio hosts. Members of the General Assembly were deluged with calls and e-mails opposing the measure.

The bill was introduced with 36 sponsors or co-sponsors—30 Democrats and six Republicans. After getting feedback from the citizens, several sponsors had their names withdrawn from the bill.

Rep. Karen Ray of Iredell County was one of the six Republican co-sponsors of the measure. She has since had her name removed from the bill.

Ray told the Boone Report that she signed the bill because another member told her it was a measure to support community colleges. She said that she later read the bill, realized what it would do, and withdrew her sponsorship. She stated that she does not support the measure and does not intend to vote for it.

Ray pointed out that the short title of the bill (“Access to higher ed. & a better econ. future”) is not descriptive of the contents. But the bill itself is only about a half-page long and can be read in a minute or less.

Former Governor Jim Hunt is actively campaigning for the in-state tuition for illegal immigrants bill.

Hunt is a masterful politician who won five statewide general elections by projecting a moderate image and avoiding controversial issues. We always suspected that the real Jim Hunt is just as liberal as Teddy Kennedy or Hillary Clinton. His public support for illegal aliens indicates that he does not plan to run for public office again and no longer needs to disguise his liberal ideology.