California Governor Signs Dream Act

California Governor Jerry Brown signed the Dream Act into law today, saying that California needs to provide more educational opportunities to illegal immigrants. The legislation will make it possible for illegal immigrants to receive financial aid to attend California universities.

Brown said in a statement:

    “Going to college is a dream that promises intellectual excitement and creative thinking. The Dream Act benefits us all by giving top students a chance to improve their lives and the lives of all of us.”

The Los Angeles Times reports that the California Dream Act will allow illegal immigrants who are accepted into state universities to receive Cal-Grant assistance starting in 2013. The Cal-Grant assistance program provided an average of $4,500 to more than 370,000 low income students last year.

Governor Brown’s office said in a statement:

    “The overall Cal Grant program is funded at $1.4 billion, meaning that 1% of all Cal Grant funds will be potentially impacted by AB 131 when the law goes into effect.”

The Wall Street Journal notes that the controversial bill that a federal Dream Act failed to pass congress last year. The Federal Dream Act would have given undocumented students “a path to short-term permanent residency status.”

On Saturday, Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 131, the second bill of the two-part California Dream Act, allowing undocumented immigrant students to apply for state-funded financial aid for college.

In July, Brown signed AB 130, making funding from private sources available to undocumented students. With Saturday's signing of AB 131, the California Dream Act passed in its entirety, granting undocumented students access to public and private funding for college.

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