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State Assembly Dems Vote On Dream Act

February 5, 2018

Statement from Assembly Democrat Speaker Carl Heastie:

“The Assembly Majority recognizes that immigrants are a vital thread in the social
and economic fabric of our state,” said Speaker Heastie. “It is fundamentally and
economically misguided to deny students who were educated in our state’s public
school system the tools they need to reach their academic potential and fully
contribute to our state’s economy. When a student’s education is cut short, every
New Yorker suffers.”

Heastie says that the New York State DREAM Act (A.9605, De La Rosa) would help ease the cost of
higher education for children of immigrants in New York by eliminating potential
financial obstacles to obtaining state financial aid for undocumented students
seeking to attend an institution of higher education. Under the proposal, these
students would be eligible for general awards, performance based awards, or New
York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) funds if they:

Attended an approved NYS high school for two or more years, graduated from
an approved NYS high school and applied for attendance to a NYS college or
university within five years of receiving their NYS high school diploma; or
Attended an approved NYS program for a state high school equivalency diploma,
received their state high school equivalency diploma and applied for attendance
to a NYS college or university within five years of receiving their state high
school equivalency diploma; or are otherwise eligible for in-state tuition at SUNY, CUNY or community colleges
as prescribed by their admission criteria.

Statement from Assemblyman Joe Errigo (R, Conesus) about the Assembly Democrats voting on the Dream Act:

“It is frankly sad that Assembly Democrats have again chosen
to accommodate and extend every courtesy to those who are breaking the law
and living here illegally,” said Errigo. “When we allow this to continue,
we encourage more people who have not been vetted properly to enter our
country illegally and then exploit our broken immigration system to
acquire government resources reserved for tax paying citizens. We are a
nation of immigrants but we are also a nation of laws, and it is time we
stop making those who have chosen to break the law a priority over those
living here legally and those following the law to become citizens.”

Assemblyman Errigo represents the 133rd District, which consists of
Livingston and parts of Steuben and Monroe counties.


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