Del. Victor Ramirez remains committed to a bill that would make it easier for thousands of Maryland high school students living in the state illegally to attend public colleges.

Ramirez, D-Prince George’s, said Wednesday that he would work to pass his bill — defeated in the state legislature earlier this year — when the Maryland General Assembly comes back in session next month.

He said the bill would likely allow undocumented students who have spent at least three years at a Maryland high school to qualify for in-state tuition at state four-year and community colleges. He is also considering a provision requiring parents or guardians of noncitizen applicants to provide proof of having paid three years of state income taxes.

“I think education is a key component to a civilized society, and I think it makes economic sense,” Ramirez told The Examiner on Wednesday.

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Ramirez’s bill would revive a contentious debate over college tuition rates for noncitizens — many of whom have been educated entirely by the state’s public schools. The similar bill sponsored by Ramirez last session passed the House of Delegates 81-57 in March but died in the Senate.

There are as many as 286,000 people living illegally in Maryland, according to a report released in March by the Center for Immigration Studies. Of those, 39,000 are school-aged children.

“I don’t want them to jump to the front of the line, I don’t want them in line and I don’t want their parents in my state,” said Del. Patrick McDonough, a Harford and Baltimore county Republican who has been one of Ramirez’s harshest critics.

The University of Maryland, College Park charges in-state full-time undergraduates $3,984.25 tuition per semester. Out-of-state full-time students pay $11,103.75. A total of 2,741 of the university’s freshmen this year are from Maryland; 1,499 enrolled from out of state, Associate Director of Admissions Kate Gannon said.

While Ramirez argues that the bill is about creating opportunity among some of the state’s poorest children, McDonough has countered that it would deny it to those who had legally earned it.

“This is about breaking the law and taking advantage of a benefit you should not be entitled to,” McDonough said.

cmabeus@dcexaminer.com