A bipartisan group of Colorado representatives have proposed legislation that would provide financial relief to states like Colorado that offer free college tuition to Native American students at select schools.

Fort Lewis College is one of two colleges in the country that signed a federal agreement providing tuition waivers to Native American students. The federal-state agreement, struck in 1911, transferred ownership of the school from a federal boarding school to the state of Colorado. According to the agreement, in return for the school, the state agreed “that Indian pupils shall at all times be admitted to such school free of charge for tuition and on terms of equality with white pupils.”

While the tuition waiver applied to only a few dozen students when the agreement was first formed, today Colorado has provided more than 31,539 Native American Tuition Waivers to about 15,770 students from 351 tribal governments.

The high rate of enrollment at FLC, while positive, has also placed the financial burden of covering the tuition waivers on the state of Colorado. The proposed legislation would transfer the responsibility for out-of-state Native American and Alaska Natives onto the Department of Education, instead of individual states.

The passage of the bill is particularly important to Colorado Rep. Scott Tipton, a graduate of FLC.

“Obviously, there are costs associated with it that the state of Colorado is having to take up,” Tipton said in an interview with The Durango Herald. “The federal government made the and should be helping to fulfill it.”

The bill, according to Tipton, would ask for $19.7 million from the federal government to cover the costs of out-of-state tuition waivers.

In the past decade, the school has seen an uptick in Native American students from outside of Colorado, increasing the diversity throughout the college. “To be able to have Native American students from all 50 states is something we’re proud of and something that’s really important for our area,” Tipton said.

Over 50 percent of students enrolled in FLC are people of color, said Tom Stritikus, president of the college.

Stritikus, who has been president since August 2018, said the diversity and tuition waiver the college provides to Native American students is one of the reasons he was initially attracted to the position. “Diversity is one of our greatest strengths,” he said.

While FLC has a historical agreement guaranteeing the college fulfills its particular role, Stritikus said, Fort Lewis has turned it into a mission.

“We are exceptionally proud of our work with diverse students and exceedingly committed to helping the state of Colorado focus on closing their outcome goals for students of color in degree attainment,” Stritikus said.

The bill, which is in review with the House education committee, has bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate. “The Colorado delegation has been incredibly supportive, both Republicans and Democrats. It’s been a great example of how Colorado works on a bipartisan basis,” Stritikus said.

Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., who is backing the bill in the House, said this “bipartisan, common-sense legislation” will benefit Native American and non-Native students alike. The bill “ensured that the federal government is the one covering the cost of that education, not the states, so that each state can provide even more tuition assistance to in-state students,” DeGette said in a written statement.

The sentiment is echoed by the college, which said the addition of federal support toward the tuition waivers would benefit FLC and the state of Colorado as a whole, Stritikus said.

Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., also backed the legislation, saying states like Colorado are “struggling to foot the tuition bill for out-of-state Native American Indian students to whom the federal government promised tuition-free higher education nearly a century ago.” According to Gardner’s statement, the proposed legislation would provide relief to Colorado’s budget while allowing these colleges to continue to fulfill their promises.

The Senate bill also has bipartisan support. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who is flirting with a possible 2020 presidential bid, has also thrown his weight behind the bill. In a written statement, Bennet said it is important for schools like FLC “to continue providing Native American students with the opportunity of receiving a higher education – an opportunity they may otherwise not have without this important program.”

While earlier versions of the bill were presented without passage, Colorado representatives in the House and the Senate remain hopeful the legislation will have a hearing soon and eventually make its way to the floor.

“We must continue to uphold centuries-old obligations and allocate the appropriate funds for the many talented and bright Native American Indian students that seek a quality education,” Tipton said.

Liz Weber is a student at American University in Washington, D.C., and an intern for The Durango Herald.