N.Y. Gov. Cuomo, Senator Klein leave the DREAM Act out of the budget

Liberal Left Still Upset With Gov. Cuomo and NYS Senate Co-Leader Jeffrey Klein

BY Ken Lovett

Here is my "Albany Insider" column from today:

Even after winning a minimum wage hike, Gov. Cuomo and Senate co-leader Jeff Klein are coming under fire from the liberal wing of the Democratic party for not fighting harder for "progressive" issues in state budget talks.

Most of the Legislature's Hispanic members-including as many as 9 out of 11 from the Assembly--boycotted a Friday reception at the governor's mansion that Cuomo held to mark the Somos legislative conference.
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The Latino lawmakers were angry that neither Cuomo nor Klein pushed to include in the upcoming budget the creation of a state DREAM Act, which would provide state tuition assistance to college students whose parents are undocumented immigrants.

"I believe the governor has the power to put his foot down like he has done for so many other things like (gun control) and same sex marriage," said Assemblyman Nelson Castro, a Bronx Dem who boycotted the reception. "This is an equally important issue for us in the immigrant community."

Another Hispanic lawmaker said the decision to boycott was made Wednesday night. "There's a lot of discontent among the members," he said.

Cuomo has said he supports a federal DREAM Act but has been silent on whether New York should adopt one.

A Cuomo official said none of the no-shows informed the administration they were boycotting the event.

Things are even hotter for Klein, who heads a breakaway group of five Democrats that chose to jointly run the Senate with the Republicans. He and Senate GOP leader Dean Skelos must agree on what bills move to the floor.

With the budget talks nearly done, many on the left are claiming that more of the party’s agenda would have passed if Klein’s group had sided with the Dems to give them the Senate majority.

"In terms of their public stances on the issues, they sound like Democrats," said Assemblyman Karim Camara (D-Brooklyn) of Klein's Independent Democratic Conference. "But as members of this coalition, they're not able to enact the agenda they say they want..

Camara and others cite the DREAM Act and a push to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of pot.

But a top Cuomo source blamed the Senate Dems — not Klein — for the pot bill’s failure, saying they could not provide enough votes for it to pass.

The Dem-on-Dem frustration boiled over during a recent closed-door meeting Silver had with his members. Sources said several ripped the budget deal, with one telling Silver that “you are the only Democrat in the (negotiating)room” — a clear shot at Cuomo and Klein.

At an earlier meeting, a frustrated Silver told of the brevity of the DREAM Act talks. “I bring it up, Skelos says no, Klein is with him, and the governor doesn’t have to say anything,” several sources quoted him as saying.

Klein, who was involved in his first budget talks as a conference leader, has been criticized behind the scenes for rarely speaking up during the negotiations with Cuomo, Silver and Skelos.

Publicly, he pushed hard for the minimum wage hike to be in the budget — raising it from $7.25 to $9 over three years — but some liberals have complained the phase-in is too long and the measure should have included an indexing provision to provide automatic future hikes that are tied to inflation.

Klein defended the final budget, saying it provides a minimum wage hike he pushed, a $350 rebate check to families, $300 million in business tax cuts and a balanced plan that stays within the 2% spending cap. “How do you get better than that?” he said.

A Senate source says Klein is being unfairly vilified. Indexing the minimum wage in a volatile economy would actually slow its growth, he said.

Another insider sniffed: “After leading the nation on marriage equality, guns, and minimum wage, there are just some on the far left who will never be happy.”

Liberal Left Still Upset With Gov. Cuomo and NYS Senate Co-Leader Jeffrey Klein | New York Daily News

LONG ISLAND COMMUNITY NEWS RELEASES
For Immediate Release: March 26, 2013


Latino Senators Oppose Education Bill to Protest Missing Dream Act Funding

(Albany, NY) – With the Senate set to vote on the Education, Labor and Family Assistance budget later this evening, the Senate Latino Conference announced that it would vote against the bill for failing to include DREAM Act funding.

The DREAM Act would make students who earn a school diploma or GED and meet other requirements eligible for state financial aid, regardless of their immigration status. For the nearly 4,000 New Yorkers that graduate high school each year that are unable to receive assistance from the state’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), the DREAM Act holds the potential to make college affordable, and allow them to pursue their career goals. With the prospect of federal immigration reform uncertain, the NYS DREAM Act is crucial for giving these intelligent, patriotic Americans the opportunity to achieve an education.

“The failure to include DREAM Act funding in the education budget is a missed opportunity to bring young these Americans out of the shadows, allow them to earn an education, and make their parents proud,” said Senator Adriano Espaillat, Chair of the Senate Latino Caucus. “The United States has always been a nation of immigrants, and their hard work has made our country great. Our nation may deny them a path to citizenship, but these young people are the living embodiment of our country’s values. Through their courage in speaking out, these young DREAMers have already proven their intelligence, heart and patriotism. While this budget is a step back, we won’t stop fighting until this injustice is corrected.”

“Equal access to education is a keystone of democracy,” said Senator Martin Malavé Dilan. “Not including funding for the Dream Act in the State Budget is a disservice to thousands of New Yorkers who wish to realize the American Dream and work to ensure that future generations can and will lay the foundations for a long and prosperous life.”

“Including the DREAM Act in this budget would have sent a clear message that New York is still a place that values hard work, a place that is willing to make a smart investment in growing its middle class and solidifying its economic future,” said Senator Jose Peralta. “Its exclusion means telling thousands of young New York immigrants that, although they have done nothing wrong, all their hopes, dreams and hard work are less important than passing a tax credit making it profitable for Wal-Mart to fire a 25-year-old single-mom and replace her with a teenager. The DREAM Act belonged in this budget, but we will not stop fighting until every young New Yorker has the opportunity to succeed.”

“I am incredibly disappointed in the Senate’s failure to incorporate DREAM Act funding in the education budget, a move which would have greatly improved the lives of many New Yorkers,” said Senator Gustavo Rivera.“Not only did the Education, Labor and Family Assistance budget bill completely omit funding for the DREAM Act, it proposes a minimum wage increase that does not meet the immediate needs of our workforce and that will be outdated by the time it reaches fruition. Investing in our youth and our workforce is of vital importance and will only strengthen our economy and society. For these reasons, I could not support a bill that failed to do either.”

Long Island News - Latino Senators Oppose Education Bill to Protest Missing Dream Act Funding | Long Island Exchange