DENVER -- A controversial bill that would grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants has cleared its first hurdle at the State Capitol.

It passed the senate appropriations committee, but the way it passed has many Republicans concerned about “dirty politics”.

The bill passed on a 5 to 4 vote, while one Republican senator was absent.

Senator Ted Harvey of Highlands Ranch missed the vote because he was moving his father-in-law, who has Alzheimer's, into a care facility.

He asked the committee to delay the vote until Friday, but they voted without him.

He would have been the tie vote and the bill would have likely died.

Instead, it's through to the senate floor. Eligible students would have had to attend a Colorado high school for three years. They would have had to graduate as well.

Opinions about the bill vary widely on the Auraria Campus. "An educated America is a better America," said Metro State student Alicia Smith who supports the bill. “I mean, this is what America is all about.”

While few would argue with that, the bill is being met with mixed reaction.

"I honestly think it's unfair," said University of Colorado at Denver junior Andy Nguyen. “Either way, they are not documented.”

"I'm all for it, because I truly believe that a smart, educated person is going to help our economy," said student Meredith Grabowski.

Samy Wahabrebi's parents emigrated to the U.S. from Ethiopia when he was two-years-old, and he said his father worked hard for citizenship.

"Over time he applied for the citizenship test. He took the test - and he passed. So did I, so did my sister and so did my mother," said Wahabrebi. "I just don't understand why they can come here and just get it handed to them. Because personally, I went through the proper channels. My family did it right.”

The bill passed a senate committee by the narrowest of margins – just one vote.

"It's bad public policy anytime you subsidize folks who are breaking the law," said senate minority leader Josh Penry. Penry said it's the way the bill passed that irritates him.

"Sen. Harvey is bringing an in-law with Alzheimer's back to Colorado. For them to exploit that to pass a bill that wouldn't have passed otherwise is extremely bad faith in my opinion," said Penry.

But Senator Bob Bacon, whose district includes Colorado State University, said how it passed is not as important as the fact that it passed.

"This is not a drain on university resources. This is a positive aspect. Many of these kids will grow into the kind of citizens we want," said Bacon.

"I think that if they went to high school here and they graduated and they're trying to get an education, then they deserve the same opportunity that I do," said Colorado native and Metro State junior Emily Kemp.

Wahabrebi questions whether that's fair considering what he went through to be here today.

"If they were legally here, I'd have no problem with it. Paperwork is needed. I was asked for every single piece of paperwork, and if I didn't have it, I got rejected," said Wahabrebi.

The bill goes to the Senate floor Friday where debate is expected to be heated.