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GOP gains support to challenge DREAM Act

More than 30,000 sign petition against bill

By Yasmeen Abutaleb
Wednesday, June 8, 2011

State legislators have successfully netted more than 30,000 approved petition signatures to overturn the recently passed bill that grants undocumented students in-state tuition and are confident they will get even more by the end of the month, they said.

After the state's DREAM Act narrowly passed the General Assembly last session, opponents quickly circulated a petition that will put the bill on the 2012 election ballot if 56,000 signatures are collected by June 30. According to Del. Justin Ready (R-Carroll), petitioners needed 18,500 signatures by May 31 — a mark they exceeded with almost 36,000 signatures.

"Believe me, we'll meet our deadline, and we'll continue our push for more signatures," Ready said. "We have literally hundreds of activists all over the state to gather more signatures at carnivals and events."

The State Board of Elections has already approved 31,000 of those signatures, Ready said, noting the petition's success so far shows a united coalition of opponents to the bill.

House Minority Leader Del. Anthony O'Donnell (R-Calvert and St. Mary's), Del. Neil Parrott (R-Washington), Del. Patrick McDonough (R-Baltimore and Hartford) and Ready spearheaded the petition against the bill.

The act would grant undocumented residents in-state tuition if they complete 60 community college credits, graduate from a state high school and prove they or their parents have been paying state taxes for at least three years. Opponents have called the statute unconstitutional and said it takes away already limited enrollment spots for residents at public universities.

But some residents, such as university alumnus Jacob Crider, said those signing the petition are being exploited, as they do not fully comprehend the bill's specifics.

"I think Republicans definitely are not presenting the bill in the light it should be," said Crider, who graduated in May and lobbied on behalf of the legislation. "They're not explaining what these people are signing, and a lot of people don't understand the stipulations of the bill. … If this referendum does actually get through, it falls upon us to get through to the public and show the bill is beneficial to Maryland."

Many of the bill's proponents said the petition seeks to deprive hardworking students of opportunities for higher education and punishes them for a legal status that wasn't their choice.

"In our congregations and in our schools, there are young people who have done the right thing — they have studied hard, they've excelled and now they want to continue their dreams and go to community college or a state university," said Alisa Glassman, lead organizer of Action in Montgomery, a network of 31 congregations and neighborhood organizations that "organize power for social justice."

However, Ready said he hopes the petition will force lawmakers to evaluate contentious pieces of legislation carefully before they vote.

"My hope is that it might make the folks that are in charge in the General Assembly in the leadership think twice before forcing through legislation," he said. "The vote was very close, and it only came about because they were able to twist enough arms to get the vote across. I hope this will slow them down a little."

abutaleb at umdbk dot com

http://www.diamondbackonline.com/news/g ... -1.2386714

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