DREAM Act Deal in Place – Do You Support it? [POLL]

A little over a month ago, the Governor made the surprising announcement to the Latin Leadership Alliance that he supported tuition equality for all – eschewing his previous position that to grant in-state tuition rates to undocumented students wasn’t practical.

However, he started to back away from that promise in the face of the bill that had been approved by the Senate - allowing those students not only tuition equality, but the ability to qualify for state financial aid.

The result of all that were the usual charges that the Governor was backing away from a promise he made during his gubernatorial campaign.

Turns out he may be getting his way – which is his promise to sign what he terms a “clean” tuition equality bill not larded down with the financial aid provision.

According to this:

Democrats in both houses of the legislature are prepared to accept a change to the DREAM Act removing state aid in an effort to shepherd the bill, which would allow children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates, into law.

Assembly sponsor Gordon Johnson said today he's willing to go along with the removal of state aid from the equation and pass the bill with the governor's conditional veto.

"The governor has the leverage and the governor has the power and this is a town of compromise," he said.

A Senate source with knowledge of the issue confirmed Senate Democrats are on board with the change as well.

During his bid for reelection, Gov. Chris Christie signaled his support for tuition equity, which was a reversal of his earlier opposition. But after the election, Christie balked at the bill in the Senate because in addition to tuition, it allowed for state aid.

The Associated Press cited two sources in the administration saying the governor will issue the conditional veto today sending it immediately back to the legislature.

What have we learned from all of this?

First thing is that the Governor realizes the support he had from the Latino community in the last election; and he doesn’t want to appear to back away from the statements he’d previously made to the Leadership alliance.

Second is that in order to be able to run for President as a Republican – you need to cull that very large voting block – and as has been widely reported – 2016 beckons.

Third is that the only way things move along in Trenton is if everyone plays along with the big guy.

But given all that, do you feel the Governor is doing the right thing by signing the DREAM Act, albeit a cleaner version – giving undocumented students access to state colleges at in-state rates – into law?

Ask a legal citizen from out of state who might want to attend college here and see what they have to say.

I think that’s all you need to know.