BOSTON — A bill filed by state Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) to ensure in-state tuition regardless of immigration status has been included in the Senate’s budget proposal.

The bill, which was also filed by state Sen. Liz Miranda (D-Boston), requires students to have attended at least three years of a Massachusetts high school or obtained a GED in the state. Financial aid is also included in the bill, Crighton said.

“We have all these tremendously talented students that cannot afford the costs of higher education,” he said. “We have an opportunity in Massachusetts to make a difference in their lives, but also to give our economy a boost as well by getting more skilled and college-educated individuals into the workforce.”

Crighton was first introduced to the bill in 2005 when he was an aide for state Sen. Thomas McGee.

“Looking at this bill, I was a recent graduate of Lynn Classical and just thinking to myself I could have had a student next to me, a kid I went to school with my whole life and we’re both going to state schools, I would be paying half the costs that he would depending on his immigration status,” Crighton said.

In Lynn, around 70 percent of the student population is Hispanic or Latino. Growing up in a diverse community has influenced him in every policy decision, he said, and this bill is no exception.

“For this one you try to be guided by empathy, putting yourself in the shoes of others and, again, just thinking back to classmates throughout my time in the Lynn Public School system. Why should they be prevented from going to college, just because of their immigration status?” Crighton said.

In Massachusetts, there has been more than a 10 percent decline in public-college enrollment over the past eight years, and Crighton said this legislation will hopefully reverse that trend.

“23 other states have adopted similar proposals. It certainly makes sense morally, why it’s the right thing to do in terms of equity, but also for our economy,” Crighton said.

Most college students that graduate from a Massachusetts public college stay in the Commonwealth and contribute to the tax base and workforce, he said. But those who cannot afford higher education, such as undocumented students, are leaving Massachusetts, he said.

“We have a huge population of folks and we don’t know necessarily the numbers in terms of who are undocumented right now, but when you’re talking about paying in some instances half the tuition you would be otherwise, that could be the difference maker whether or not you pursue a higher education,” Crighton said.

If Massachusetts can encourage these students to enroll by ensuring in-state tuition costs, he said, it would boost a more skilled workforce and bring additional revenue to the higher education institutions.

“When discussing the thousands of vacant, high-wage jobs available in the Commonwealth with employers, the advantages of affordable higher education for undocumented students become abundantly clear in terms of our workforce competitiveness,” North Shore Community College President William Heineman said.

Budget debate for the Senate is set to begin on May 22.

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