Thread: Gov. Jerry Brown has signed California Dream Act, legislator

1,891 comments at the source link.
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Governor Brown Signs Second Half of California Dream Act


Published October 08, 2011 | Associated Press

Illegal immigrants can now apply for state-funded scholarships and aid at state universities after Gov. Jerry Brown announced Saturday that he has signed the second half of a legislative package focused on such students.

AB131 by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, is the second half of the California Dream Act. Brown signed the first half of the package in July, which approved private scholarships and loans for students who are illegal immigrants.

Under current law, illegal immigrant students who have graduated from a California high school and can prove they're on the path to legalize their immigration status can pay resident tuition rates. The bill would allow these students to apply for state aid.

The contentious second half of the package requires that immigrant students meet the same requirements as all other students applying for financial aid at state universities but specifies that they only qualify for financial aid after all the other legal residents have applied.

"The signing of now both parts of the California Dream Act will send a message across the country that California is prepared to lead the country with a positive and productive vision for how we approach challenging issues related to immigration," Cedillo said.

The bills are different from the federal Dream Act, which includes a path to citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.

Brown says the bill expands educational opportunities for all qualified students.

"Going to college is a dream that promises intellectual excitement and creative thinking," Brown said. "The Dream Act benefits us all by giving top students a chance to improve their lives and the lives of all of us."

Critics of the bills say it undermines immigration laws and encourages illegal immigration by granting access to state resources reserved for legal residents. Many Republican lawmakers say legal students have had their grants cut in light of recent budget cuts to higher education.

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Hesperia, said the bill's passage will the biggest mistake the Democratic Party makes.

"The polling indicates that 80 to 90 percent of Californians are against this, and it crosses party lines," Donnelly said. He said he hopes to get a ballot initiative overturning the law started as soon as the bill is officially included in state statutes.

"It is absolutely, fundamentally wrong and unfair and it is an insult to people who have worked and played by the rules, including those who have come to this country legally," he said.

Ginny Rapini, coordinator for the NorCal Tea Party Patriots, said there should be consequences for illegal immigrants and giving them an education funded by California taxpayers isn't fair to the legal residents who can't afford to pay for their own tuition.

"What part of illegal do we not get? When people come here illegally they need to come here with the same rules and regulations that other people came here with," Rapini said.

Supporters argue that children whose were brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents shouldn't be punished.

The state Department of Finance estimates that 1 percent of all Cal Grant funds, the state student financial aid program, will be affected by the legislative package when it goes into effect in January 2013. The department says that 2,500 students would qualify for aid under the bill and estimates the costs to equal $14.5 million of a $1.4 billion program.

www.foxnews.com

Comments are flying into the FOX link above. Now up to 2,641 and counting.

There are now 3,111 comments at the link mentioned above.

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-6659--0-0.html

There are 12,171 comments at yahoo....



http://news.yahoo.com/california-govern ... 02671.html


People are not happy about this to say the least.

Originally Posted by OneNationUnderGod

There are 12,171 comments at yahoo....



http://news.yahoo.com/california-govern ... 02671.html


People are not happy about this to say the least.

Thank you for posting that OneNationUnderGod. No, people are not happy to say the least.

This is not over.

Yahoo 13,416 comments at 12:00 - People are mad. This is going viral. I could only pray that this finally wakes up Californian's.

Meg Whitman would have vetoed the DREAM Act, both State & Federal.

http://washingtonindependent.com/99596/ ... -dream-act

Dream Act could give $14.5 million to illegal-immigrant students

October 9, 2011 | 10:28am

The California Dream Act, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Saturday, could require $14.5 million a year in state grants to illegal immigrants to help them pay for college.

The California Department of Finance estimates 2,500 additional students at public universities and community colleges will qualify for Cal-Grants as a result of the Dream Act, The Times' Patrick McGreevy reports on PolitiCal.

Brown downplayed the cost of the grants, saying they potentially would affect only about 1% of the $1.4 billion in annual Cal-Grant funding.


But critics were not convinced. Federation for American Immigration Reform spokeswoman Kristen Williamson called the bill "a reckless use of taxpayer money" at a time when the state is broke, has raised tuition and has cut many services to legal residents.

To qualify for aid under the bill, students must graduate from a California high school after attending school in the state for at least three years and must affirm that they are in the process of applying to legalize their immigration status. They also must show financial need and meet academic standards.

The bill was introduced by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), who praised Brown for showing courage in signing it.

"After having invested 12 years in the high school education of these young men and women, who are here through no fault of their own," Cedillo said, "it's the smartest thing for us to do to permit these students to get scholarships and be treated like every other student."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2 ... -says.html

Someone should do an audit and see how many citizens are denied financial aid versus how many illegals are not. I used to live there. Last time I visited was 6 years ago and the less affluent areas looked like they'd been taken over by Mexico. It must be worse now. Why this crap was allowed to get out of hand like that is beyond logic. 24,000 comments on Yahoo reflect the displeasure about providing financial aid to illegals. How the heck are they attending college in the first place?

I like this approach much better!
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The DOJ is suing Arizona, but not California what's say we compound Mr. Holder's problem!

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