New Jersey has the opportunity to benefit from the talent and drive of young people eager to contribute to the Garden State. The state’s Democratically-controlled legislature must seize this opportunity by making in-state tuition accessible to more of its residents.

A bill in the legislature would allow undocumented students to attend public colleges and universities at the same tuition rates that native-born residents pay. This would make a world of difference. For example, in-state tuition for New Jersey City University is $8,990, a figure that nearly doubles for out of state students.

Undocumented students would have to meet certain requirements, including submitting an affidavit stating that they filed an application to legalize their immigration status.

The bill is a reasonable measure, much like ones already enacted by New York, Nebraska and California. But opponents, including Governor-elect Chris Christie, say undocumented students are not entitled to in-state rates because native born residents subsidize public institutions. He fails to mention how much undocumented immigrants, as consumers of goods and tax payers, are pouring into the state’s economy.

But more troubling is the attitude of punishing young people who had nothing to do with their immigration status or the limbo that Congress has left them in. Leaving teenagers at the margins, with access to only the most expensive education, certainly does not bode well for general growth and prosperity.

To his great credit, outgoing Governor Jon Corzine initiated a panel that backed an in-state tuition policy. Corzine has said he would sign the bill in the legislature. Advocates have long rallied for it. Now it's time for New Jersey’s legislators to act boldly and swiftly, before Christie takes over and promises to shut down the dreams of high school students.