LWV on Kobach's "misinformation"

The kick-off weekend of the NFL is not conducive to political blogging, but we didn't want to go more than a couple of days without a post, so here is the text of a letter from the League of Women Voters of Kansas that appeared in the Sun a couple weeks ago. It clears up some "misinformation" from Kris Kobach about the disputed Kansas tuition law.

Students are treated same

This letter is to correct some misinformation provided by Kris Kobach in a July 22 Sun Newspapers article on the 3rd Congressional District candidates. Mr. Kobach, on behalf of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), has filed a lawsuit challenging recently enacted legislation in Kansas that allows Kansas high school graduates whose parents are undocumented immigrants to receive in-state tuition at Kansas universities.

These students are being treated the same as any other graduate of a Kansas high school. They receive no special favors, do not qualify for any federal aid as a result of the Kansas law, and are not displacing American-born children in our state universities. The Kansas law is based on three years attendance at a Kansas high school followed by graduation from high school. Many parents whose children will benefit from this law have applied for U.S. citizenship; however that process takes many years to complete. In the meantime their children deserve to better themselves by pursuing higher education, a proven pathway to becoming productive citizens. Further, these parents are taxpayers; they pay sales taxes, income taxes and property taxes.

The Regents universities of Kansas, which were supportive of the legislation, estimate that fewer than 400 such children will be able to take advantage of the in-state tuition, as opposed to the several thousand estimated by Mr. Kobach.

The League of Women Voters of Kansas is a strong supporter of this legislation.

Janis McMillen
president, League of Women Voters of Kansas