DREAM Act Supporters Again Look to Cuomo
Now that the DREAM Act is out of the final state budget agreement, proponents are again calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to use his political clout to pass the controversial piece of legislation that has repeatedly stalled in Albany.
The DREAM Act and the Education Investment Tax Credit were tied together by Cuomo in the budget on the grounds that it would increase the chances of passing—state Senate Republicans are proponents of the EITC but are against the DREAM Act, while Assembly Democrats are big supporters of the DREAM Act, but some of them do not back the EITC. The DREAM Act would allow young undocumented immigrants in New York to qualify for college financial aid.
State Sen. Jose Peralta said he is “pretty sure” the two pieces of legislation will no longer be linked.
“First and foremost, I’m very disappointed that the DREAM Act was not included in the budget … but what we want people to understand is that there is still an opportunity here because there’s still $27 million [in funds available] in the budget,” Peralta said. “I’m calling upon the governor to make this a reality before the end of the legislative session. Because as we all know, he has the political capital that we all don’t and he has used that political capital effectively when it’s come to marriage equality, the SAFE Act and even now when it’s come to ethics reform. We need him to use the political capital and push for the DREAM to become a reality before the end of the session.”
Peralta also proposed linking the DREAM Act to the property tax cuts that Senate Republicans are pushing for. He said linking the two had been floated during the late stages of the budget talks, but the negotiations ultimately did not pan out.
“I think if it’s going to be tied to something, it’s going to be something that they really need or want badly and that wasn’t the [Education Investment] Tax credit,” Peralta said. “I’m hopeful the governor can take this over the finish line and deliver on the DREAM Act.”
Cuomo on Saturday claimed that the DREAM Act is still a priority, even though some observers now doubt that the legislation can be approved this year.
“Property tax cuts, minimum wage, DREAM Act, EITC … these are issues you can address in a regular session,” Cuomo told reporters. “These issues are priorities whether we get them done in the budget or the remainder of the session.”
Assemblyman Francisco Moya is both the sponsor of the DREAM Act and a supporter of the EITC.
“To fall short because we couldn’t get leadership to the table on this from the Senate and the governor on this is really beyond disappointing at this point,” Moya said. “I don’t think we’ve lost our greatest bargaining chip [now that it will not be included in the budget]. We have three months now to look towards the governor for his leadership on this issue, which he campaigned on, to get it done.”
Opposition in the state Senate remains strong, however. State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos reiterated on Monday the Senate Republicans’ stance on the legislation.
“In terms of the DREAM Act, I think the governor was realistic that we were not going to do it. We don't believe that people who are here illegally should have an advantage over kids whose families are taking out student loans,” Skelos said. “The DREAM Act is just something that many of the Democrats want to hold out as an issue rather than having a real understanding of how we should be educating people and the reality of who can hold a job that's here illegally and who cannot."
Peralta told City & State last week that if the DREAM Act is not passed during this year’s session, lawmakers would launch awareness campaigns in Republican-controlled districts in upstate New York and Long Island, including those represented by state Sens. Phil Boyle, Jack Martins and Skelos.
Boyle countered that he is not opposed to the ideology behind the DREAM Act, but the methodology.
“I’m not supportive of the use of taxpayer money. I think this can be done through private funds. My answer has always been to just extend the idea of the earned income tax credit, which now goes through K-12, through to college and that would pay for college costs of the DREAMers,” Boyle said. “I’ve said many times that I’m sympathetic to the plight of the DREAMers. They’re in this position through no fault of their own and I’d like to assist them without using taxpayer money.”
Boyle said he would not alter his stance on the DREAM Act if proponents launch a campaign against him. He said he will continue to push for his alternative to the DREAM Act.
“You can only try a way that’s going to be ineffective so many times before you realize you may have to say to yourself, ‘Let’s try a different way of helping the same individuals and the same DREAMers that we’ve wanted to help for years,’” Boyle said.