Brown’s signature makes California Dream Act a reality
by Brian Leubitz
The California Dream Act is not quite the major reform that the Dream Act represents at the federal level, but it is a nice place to start. There was some doubt as to whether Gov. Brown would sign the second piece of legislation, as there was a $14.5 million redirection of funds involved. However, ultimately the Governor came to the right decision:
“Going to college is a dream that promises intellectual excitement and creative thinking,” Brown said in a statement. “The Dream Act benefits us all by giving top students a chance to improve their lives and the lives of all of us.”
Under AB 131, illegal immigrants who are accepted into state universities can receive, starting in 2013, Cal-Grant assistance, which last year provided grants averaging $4,500 apiece to more than 370,000 low-income students.
The measure also allows students who are not in the country legally to get institutional grants while attending the University of California and California State University systems, and to get fee waivers in the California community college system. (LA Times)
While Rick Perry attempts to walk back his statement on stopping undocumented immigrants from attending universities at in-state tuition was “heartless)”, it is good to see that in California we are going in the opposite direction.
This looks like a bill that has a symbolic impact disproportionate the the amount of money involved. I can understand why the governor signed the bills given the politics. Still the democrats may regret passing this if it ends up costing them in the next election. The republicans and Howard Jarvis folks now have a new, perhaps even popular narrative to use when opposing revenue measures and reforms. I don’t know how this bill will poll but I can only imagine the advertisements that will draw comparisons between the percentage increase in costs for UC / CSU attendance for in-state students and the percentage decrease for illegal immigrant students. Couple this with the impending trigger cuts which can be now be “blamed” on the dream act and you have a real mess. Yes I know this makes no sense given the amounts of money involved still it’s going to happen.
As a fiscal conservative, I am nonplussed by the left’s need to spend precious economic resources on the post-secondary education of illegal aliens.
Given the current Obama Administration crackdown on the California medical marijuana industry, it should be clear that the U.S. Government’s relative tolerance of illegal immigration is subject to change. So why do progressives want to subsidize the college education of “deportable” individuals who cannot lawfully work after graduation.
Couldn’t the $14M be better spent on social programs for lawful California residents?