Proposition 300 punishes children, most of which are US citizens, denies access to education, eliminates the ability for non-English speakers to learn English, and impedes hard working students the ability to better their lives and increase their education by restricting their access to higher education.
About Proposition 300
Prop 300 Hurts All Arizonans
We live in a global economy that demands an educated workforce. In order to remain competitive, Arizona needs to cultivate our students and give them opportunities to succeed. By denying opportunities to children, we cripple our future workforce's ability to compete in the 21st century economy.
We also face a rise in crime. When children are denied opportunities to succeed, they turn to gangs, drugs and crime. Crime, gangs and drugs impact all Arizonans.
Prop 300 would force additional burdens onto Arizona businesses. In many cases, businesses will have to duplicate services provided in the public sector. Ed Hermes examines how Prop 300 would hurt ASU:
The shortsighted proponents of this bill also fail to mention that, if passed, Proposition 300 could force ASU to greatly expand its hefty bureaucracy by duplicating the services that other agencies should be providing. If passed, ASU would have to check the immigration status of every student that applies.
This would mean that ASU would have to create office space and hire the staff necessary to check the immigration status of the over 100,000 students that apply to ASU each year.
The funding for such a bureaucratic nightmare would have to come out of our already thinly stretched tuition dollars because this bill does not supply ASU (or any other university or community college) with the funding to pay for this mandate.
Proposition 300 drives up costs for the affected agencies. It requires a complex tax reporting process from these agencies which drives up the costs for additional staffing and document storage – costs that are not absorbed by the state. This is an unfunded mandate that will divert state funds from education toward unnecessary administration.
Prop 300 hurts Arizona's educational institutions, our businesses and our competitiveness. It also increases crime and provides unnecessary unfunded mandates. It's clear that Prop 300 is bad for all Arizonans.