Thursday, May 5, 2011

California Dream Act passes on Latino initiated holiday

Students, parents and community leaders witness history as an Assembly Floor vote is taken on a portion of the “California Dream Act”, AB 130.

SACRAMENTO, CAOn, Thursday, May 5, Assemblymember Gilbert Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), along with students, parents and community leaders will participate and witness a historic vote on a portion of the “California Dream Act”, AB 130 on the Assembly floor 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. followed by a press conference upon adjournment in the Governor’s Press Room, State Capitol, Room 1190. Participants will also advocate that AB 131, a second key element of the “California Dream Act”, be pulled from suspense and brought to a vote in the Assembly Committee on Appropriations before the deadline the end of May.

The California DREAM Act, first introduced by Cedillo in 2006, was introduced in two bills in January of this year. The first bill AB 130 would allow students that meet the in-state tuition requirements to apply for and receive scholarships derived from non-state funds. AB 131 would allow students that meet the in-state tuition requirements to apply and receive financial aid at California public colleges and universities. The types of financial aid these students would be eligible for include: 1.) Board of Governors (BOG) Fee Waiver 2.) Institutional Student Aid: Student aid program administered by the attending college or university (i.e. State University Grant, UC Grant) and 3.) Cal Grants.

Supporters of AB 130 include: Assemblymember Gilbert Cedillo, students, parents and community leaders. Supporters include: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), California Catholic Conference, Community College League of California, California Communities United Institute, California Federation of Teachers, California Immigrant Policy Center, California State University (CSU), California Teachers Association (CTA), Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), Equality California, Faculty Association of California Community Colleges (FACCC), Friends Committee on Legislation of California, Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (HACU), Korean Resource Center, Laborers International Union, Local 300, LA Dream Team, La Raza Law Students Association, UC Davis, Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO), National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), National Council of La Raza (NCLR), Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, Peralta Community College District, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), UCLA Labor Center, University of California (UC) and University of California Student Association (UCSA).

1 comment:

  1. Miami Herald : "Immigration bill dies in Florida Legislature" - "An immigration crackdown proposal died in the annual lawmaking session", "House and Senate lawmakers reached the end of the 60-day session without an agreement"
    .
    The proposal was so thorny that even Sen. JD Alexander, the budget chief tasked with shepherding the bill on the floor, ultimately voted against the bill.


    “I should have probably voted for it,” Alexander, R-Lake Wales, told reporters. “As I got into it more and more, I got more and more uncomfortable with it. I didn’t feel morally I could make that choice.”




    The Miami Herald
    Immigration bill dies in Florida Legislature
    An immigration crackdown proposal died in the annual lawmaking session, but looks likely to come back next year.
    By Patricia Mazzei
    Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
    Friday, May 6, 2011


    Immigration bill dies in Florida Legislature


    Some excerpts :


    TALLAHASSEE -- The fierce fight to crack down on illegal immigration ended — for this year — in the Florida Legislature on Friday when House and Senate lawmakers reached the end of the 60-day session without an agreement.

    State senators signed off on their more lenient proposal on Wednesday. But by then, it was too late for the House to take up the measure.

    On Friday, Gov. Rick Scott told a Fox-affiliated radio station in the Florida Panhandle that lawmakers should have passed an immigration bill — but there’s always next year.

    “Weve got the next session, Scott said in an appearance on “Freedom in the Morning with Wolfe and Andi.” “We’ve got to get ready for the next session and let everybody we elect know that it’s important to us.”

    Scott campaigned heavily in last year’s Republican primary — even suggesting a special lawmaking session — for an Arizona-style proposal, giving law enforcement broader power to check a person’s immigration status and requiring businesses to use the federal government’s E-Verify system.

    Scott mentioned his executive order forcing agencies to use E-Verify. “There’s limitation on what you can do through executive order,” he added. “I’ve done what I can.”

    The bills drew staunch opposition from a powerful and wide-ranging set of interests, from big business to religious groups to immigration advocates. Yet Republicans are already taking flak from tea-party types for failing to pass any reforms — a political liability for Senate President Mike Haridopolos, who is running for U.S. Senate.
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