Rep. John Salazar (D-Colorado) hopes a bill to help cover the costs of the Native student tuition program at Fort Lewis College will pass during the next session of Congress.

H.R.5974 requires the Department of Education to reimburse the state for the tuition of Indian students who live out of state. Colorado would continue to cover the tuition for in-state students.

"It's fairness," Salazar said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new student building, The Durango Herald reported. "The state should not be responsible for out-of-state tuition."

Fort Lewis began as an Indian boarding school that was run by the federal government. When it became a public institution, the state promised to admit Indian students "free of tuition and on an equality with white students."

About 20 percent of the college students are Indian. The majority are from out of state, according to a spokesperson.

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Salazar touts tuition bill (The Durango Herald 9/2)

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