More Arizona Republican leaders are throwing their support behind Prop. 308

By Alisa Reznick
Published: Saturday, October 29, 2022 - 7:11am
Updated: Monday, October 31, 2022 - 7:39am

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Supporters of Proposition 308 speak at a rally and canvassing event i
Alisa Reznick/KJZZ
Supporters of Proposition 308 speak at a rally and canvassing event in Tucson.

A growing number of Republican leaders are throwing their support behind a ballot proposition that would open in-state tuition to undocumented students in Arizona. 

Proposition 308 would give all Arizona high school graduates access to in-state tuition and state financial aid, regardless of immigration status.

→ With Prop. 308, AZ voters will decide again whether noncitizens can get in-state tuition

If passed, it would partially reverse Proposition 300, a ballot initiative passed by voters almost two decades ago that bars undocumented people from accessing a host of public services like childcare, adult education and in-state tuition. 

At a press event Friday, Republican Precinct Committeewoman Lisa Hoberg said the Proposition 308 was "common sense policy."

"Dreamers are Arizona kids just like my son, we’ve educated them in our schools since they were children, and they now have a lot to offer our great state. This should not be a partisan issue," she told a group of reporters and proposition supporters in Paradise Valley. 

In a letter released this month, Hoberg and more than 50 other Republican leaders, including Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson, say DACA-eligible people in Arizona have an overall spending power of over $617 million. 

They argue passing Prop 308 would help boost Arizona’s economy by allowing them to stay in-state for school and join the workforce after, while also not impacting the state budget or taxpayers. 

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