California Passes DREAM Act

California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law the bill known as California’s DREAM Act that would give undocumented students access to public funding in schools. We wrote about the measure when it passed the state senate, and Brown’s signature on the law on Saturday made its way quickly across the state.

About 2,500 students would probably qualify for state Cal Grants as a result of the bill. The Los Angeles Times reported:

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.

Ultimately, this is a victory for California, a state that now falls in line with several others that provide financial aid for students who grew up here but don’t have their papers. In the long run, these states will have a better prepared workforce to grow once the recession, and inevitably immigration reform.

What are your thoughts on this legislation?