Two bills in Olympia could make a big difference for high school and college students, and we're in the home stretch for both of them. Here's the news.
The first bill is called the Dream Act [HB 1817]. The Dream is an affordable college education for immigrant kids.
About 100,000 Washington residents attend college in-state each year. About 30,000 of them receive state "need" grants.
Another 1,000 students aren't U.S. citizens but can legally attend public schools, thanks to President Obama's action last summer. These students entered the U.S. illegally as children, but can work, pay taxes and go to the schools they help pay for with those taxes.
There's just one problem. Even while the cost of college goes up, these students aren't eligible for state aid. The Dream Act corrects this problem, and could dictate whether many of these students continue their education.
The Dream Act was introduced in the House by several representatives including Tacoma's David Sawyer [D-29] and Jake Fey [D-27]. It passed with strong bi-partisan support.
And it's dying in the Senate.
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