California bill to fund college for illegal immigrants advances [View All]

[The Northerner]

(Reuters) - A California bill dubbed the state's "Dream Act" that would allow illegal immigrants to receive public funds for college education was approved on Wednesday by the state Senate.

The legislation would still need to pass the Assembly and be signed by Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, to become law.

Proponents acknowledge that illegal immigrants who attend college are still not able to find legal employment after graduation, but they say the bill could eventually help spur the federal government to grant those students citizenship.

"The Senate made history today by voting to pass ... the final portion of the California Dream Act," Assembly member Gil Cedillo, a Democrat from Los Angeles and the author of the bill, said in a statement.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/01/us-dream-act-california-idUSTRE7800OW20110901