Thursday, December 9, 2010
Social Justice DREAM Act passes the House
Posted by Austin Considine on Thu, Dec 9, 2010 at 8:32 AM
Last night, members of the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act — better known as the DREAM Act — by a vote of 216 to 198.
The bill, if it becomes law, would give the opportunity for legal residency to millions of young immigrants who were illegally brought into the country by their parents but remain undocumented. Those youth would have to finish two years of higher education or military service to be eligible.
Success for the bill in the Senate remains tenuous. Without some Republican support, Democrats in favor of the bill will not have the supermajority needed to prevent a Republican filibuster. And Senate Republicans, led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, haven't demonstrated much bi-partisanship lately. Which is to say, they haven't really demonstrated any at all.
Indiana's Republican Senator, Richard Lugar, has co-sponsored and even introduced the bill several times since 2001. It's one of the key policy points outlined on his Web site. But now, with the debate over the Bush-era tax cuts raging, all Republicans, as a caucus, are vowing to filibuster any bill that comes to the floor before a tax agreement is reached.
Of course, it's political blackmail of the worst kind.
But there's plenty to be inspired by with this story. Back here in Indianapolis, several young people are hunger striking in support of the bill until a vote is taken. If the bill is rejected by the Senate, or if it is never taken, they'll continue til the end of the lame duck session, on Dec. 17.
At least three that I know of are doing it here in town, members of the Latino/a Youth Collective, a local youth group. Last time I checked there were about eight more young people doing it statewide, in places like Bloomington.
Read about what they're doing in this week's news feature, here. In the meantime, contact your senators. Reports are that a vote in the Senate could come sometime today:
Sen. Evan Bayh: 131 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510; phone, (202) 224-5623; fax, (202) 228-1377; www.bayh.senate.gov.
Sen. Richard Lugar: 306 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510-1401; phone, (202) 224-4814; fax, (202) 228-0360; www.lugar.senate.gov.
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