HJR 5002 - (Y-83 N-7)

Virginia Senate Resolution HJR 5002 (Y-83 N-7), a controversial student immigration bill that faced much debate for over a year, was passed by a majority vote in a special session on March 13, 2008. The passing of said bill into law came as a surprise to most, as the state is largely conservative and such sessions hardly vote in favor of non-citizen rights. The bill allows for non-citizens access to scholarships and federal funding.

Some have argued that the passing of the bill was to gain more support from Hispanic voters, but this is debatable as many voting Hispanics in Virginia are conservatives also.

What This Means

HJR-5002 (Y-83 N-7) guarantees a wider range of immigrant students access to Virginia's education system, including Virginia's college system. Though not many are aware of the bill, it remains controversial as it may and is forecast to allow access to federal funding for illegal immigrants. It is forecast that with the bill's passing, there will be a huge influx of immigrant students. Whereas bigger universities will be able to adapt to this, it threatens to crowd smaller community colleges scattered throughout rural Virginia, (areas with high immigrant populations due to farm work), with immigrant students that they are not equipped to handle, creating waiting lists of prospective students.

Source(s)

[http://vacap.state.va.us/chamber.nsf/25eeb1bc05736b308525713a00610dd3/a1542dde16ceef2a8525740c0007ac58?OpenDocument Va Senate Special Session]