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Tuesday July 26, 2011

Provisions of California DREAM Act Signed into Law

Posted by Adam Abosedra at 1:52 pm

California Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA) signed into law Assembly Bill 130, the California DREAM Act yesterday. The Los Angeles Times reports that AB 130 will provide “access to privately funded financial aid for undocumented college students.” Regarding the political implications of California’s Dream Act, the Times explains that the Governor’s signature on Bill 130 as a “gesture of goodwill toward Latino voters, who helped elect him in large numbers last fall. Legislation providing education funding to undocumented students has been a top priority for many Latino groups, who have found their efforts thwarted so far at the federal level.”

In contrast to neighboring Arizona law SB 1070 and other controversial anti-immigration bills like Alabama’s HB 56 and Georgia’s HB 57, California’s DREAM Act represents initiative on the state level to push through at least some elements of the DREAM Act which has failed to pass at the federal level. In addition to California, Connecticut has also passed a DREAM Act bill, and Texas Governor and potential Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry has signed a similar act into law for the Lone Star State which “allows in-state tuition for students who have lived in Texas for three years and either have obtained a GED or graduated from the state's public or accredited private schools.”  

 

Tagged as Issues, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Profiling, Immigration Reform, Arizona/SB1070

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