Gov. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Wyman Provide Testimony in Support of Financial Aid for Undocumented Students

Press Release

Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman today provided written testimony to the legislature's Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee in support of House Bill 5031, An Act Equalizing Access to Student-Generated Financial Aid, which will allow students, regardless of their immigration status, to receive equal access to financial aid.

"Let us be clear -- many of the students we are talking about are just as American as our own children," Governor Malloy and Lt. Governor Wyman wrote. "By definition, their parents brought them to our country when they were under the age of 16, but often they came as infants. They don't speak another language or know another nation. Connecticut is home to them, often indistinguishable from the way individuals born here consider our state home. They have been raised and educated in our school systems. They contribute to Connecticut's economy. The circumstances by which they arrived in the United States should not be the determining factor in their access to affordable higher education."

In 2011, Governor Malloy signed legislation ensuring in-state tuition for undocumented students, and in previous years, the Governor and Lt. Governor have supported similar efforts to extend financial aid to all students.

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