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McCormick says HR 65 42 would ease legal immigration backlog; student asks about in‑state tuition access
Summary
At the Roswell town hall Rep. Rich McCormick said he supports HR 65 42 (as referenced at the meeting) to reduce backlogs and the 7% cap on visas for some countries; a high‑school senior said residency status prevents access to in‑state tuition programs such as HOPE in Georgia.
A high‑school senior at the Roswell town hall told Congressman Rich McCormick she has lived in the United States for 17 years but is blocked from in‑state college aid because of residency status; McCormick said he supports legal changes to reduce immigration backlogs and cited H.R. 65 42 as his proposed legislative response.
The student said she met academic requirements but could not access the HOPE scholarship because of her residency. McCormick acknowledged systemic immigration backlogs and said his bill — cited in the meeting as "HR 65 42" — would remove a 7% cap and address country‑specific backlogs, particularly for applicants from India, where waiting lines can be decades long.
Why it matters: Access to in‑state tuition and state scholarships can determine college affordability for long‑term residents who lack citizenship or lawful permanent resident status. McCormick said he is working on bipartisan legislation to correct country‑based inequities in the immigration backlog and that his approach would expand legal immigration channels while also reducing incentives for irregular migration.
McCormick said the bill had bipartisan cosponsors and emphasized that he could not change immigration law alone, framing the process as a multiyear legislative effort. He said he wanted to see eligible residents become citizens and urged constituents to engage with the legislative process.
Ending: McCormick told the student he was "working hard on my own party and with the other party" and that 16 Democrats and 16 Republicans were cosponsoring his bill, according to his remarks at the meeting; he invited constituents to pursue casework through his office.
