CALIFORNIA DREAM ACT MOVES TO ASSEMBLY APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

Despite California facing deep cuts to its education budget, the state assembly's Higher Education Committee has decided to advance the California Dream Act to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.On Tuesday, committee members voted 6-2 and 5-2 to allow illegal immigrants to access institutional and state financial aid with passage of AB 130 and AB 131, the Daily Californian-reported. In addition, AB 131 does not reduce the amount of Cal Grant money available to legal students.  As expected, the committee vote went along party lines as two of the sitting Republicans voted against the measures:  Tim Donnelly (R-Twin Peaks) and Katcho Achadijian (R-San Luis Obispo). 

If the measures pass in the Appropriations Committee, not only will they likely pass the Democratic-controlled legislature, but they will also likely be signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown aspreviously indicated. At stake is the fact that, while opening the door for those brought here by no choice of their own, these bills will also cause more economic uncertainty for California's taxpayers.

While the committee did ensure that the same Cal Grant amount is available to legal students, legislators and activists in favor of the California Dream Act are forced to reconcile the projected $500 million in education budget cuts with welcoming illegal immigrant students to partake of the benefits offered by the state's higher education system.  Legislators supporting AB 130 must be held accountable for the loss of revenue that will result from illegal immigrant students being able to apply for the Board of Governors Fee Waiver in the state's community colleges. The same goes for supporting AB 131, which makes illegal immigrants eligible for the Cal Grants set aside for state residents who enroll in higher education in the golden state. These costs will need to at least be considered by the Appropriations Committee in May.

When the Act reaches his desk, the governor must also communicate to California's taxpayers how these goals are realistically feasible during California's financial crunch. While voters may have pulled for the Democratic governor and legislature in the past election, some did so with the understanding that the governor would provide some effective solutions to the state's severe budget problems.

Aside from the possible budgetary impact that the legislation will have, it also leaves the question of citizenship of those illegally residing in California unresolved. As the state continues to struggle on the fiscal side, education investments in California's illegal immigrant students, subsidized by taxpayers, are of no benefit if those same students at the end of the day are still not U.S. citizens. Granting citizenship is a federal responsibility.

In what will undoubtedly have national implications down the road, the California Dream Act seems as if it's a bigger gamble than investment given that the Obama administration has failed to come through on comprehensive reform. California's economy will remain weak if those very immigrant students are held back from contributing their skills to the workforce as a result of their illegal status.

State Committee Passes New Version of DREAM Act

Though former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the California DREAM Act three times, a state assembly committee voted Tuesday to pass a new version of the legislation, which will now be reviewed by another committee before potentially being introduced to the entire Assembly.

The Assembly Committee on Higher Education passed Assembly Bills 130 and 131 - authored by Assemblymember Gilbert Cedillo, D-Los Angeles - in a 6-2 and 5-2 vote respectively. If enacted into law, the bills would expand institutional and state financial aid to undocumented students in California respectively.

Only Assemblymembers Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks, and Katcho Achadjian, R-San Luis Obispo, voted against the act.

"I believe that this bill undermines the rule of law, and it opens up the treasury to people through no fault of their own, granted, are not supposed to be in this state," Donnelly said at the committee meeting.

Opponents of the act have argued that the act would create an incentive for illegal immigration.

Gov. Jerry Brown has stated that should the legislation come to his desk, he would support it.

Nonresident students that meet certain requirements already qualify for in-state tuition fees by meeting requirements in AB 540, including that students must have attended a California high school for three years and graduate, among other requirements.

However, any of these students that are undocumented cannot receive university or state aid, according to David Alcocer, associate director of student financial support at the UC Office of the President.

Assemblymember Marty Block, D-San Diego, said in an e-mail that he voted in favor of the bills because he believes "it critical that students who reside in the state get educational opportunities so they can contribute to California's economy as productive tax-paying workers."

At the committee meeting, UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau testified on behalf of AB 130.

The overall content of the current act reflects the previous version, however, AB 131 has been edited to ensure that Cal Grants will not be reduced for students that are legal residents, according to Conrado Terrazas, communications deputy for Cedillo.

Alcocer said that he estimated about 75 percent of undocumented students would receive $4 million of financial aid under AB 130, and 50 percent of them would be eligible for Cal Grants up to about $3 million under AB 131.

Additionally, some 500 documented students that are eligible under AB 540 would benefit if the bills were to pass. Some students that do not meet state residency requirements and are considered out-of-state students, though they attended high school in California, would be eligible for Cal Grants.

"We've already invested in our children in our K-12 system," said Adam Keigwin, chief of staff for Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco/San Mateo, who co-authored the bills. "To  shut the door on their ability to go to college after that investment doesn't serve our state well, doesn't serve our communities well."

Both bills will be reviewed by the Assembly Committee on Appropriations in May, though a final date has not yet been set, according to Terrazas.