At a news conference Thursday, 19-year-old Dulce Siguenza, a student at South Seattle Community College, fights back tears as she says the measure will make it possible for her to attend the University of Washington.

OLYMPIA, Jan. 31.—In an announcement that seemed to leave the statehouse gasping, the largely Republican majority coalition in the Washington Senate declared its support for the Dream Act – the controversial measure that would provide state-college financial aid for the children of immigrants who are in the country illegally.

Senate leaders said their bill goes a step further than the measure that has been touted by Democrats in House and Senate for the last year, because it puts money behind the idea — an additional $5 million for state need-grant programs. “Why put something out there that is a false promise?” said Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor, chairwoman of the Senate Higher Education Committee. They even have a name for their version they say underscores the difference: They call it the “Real Hope” Act.

Senate leaders said they planned to schedule a vote on the bill on the Senate floor Friday. The measure will be run along with a second bill that has been blocked by Democrats in the state House in a classic hostage-taking standoff, a measure that would provide low in-state tuition rates to returning veterans without requiring a waiting period.

It appeared a sharp reversal for a caucus that at least publicly has shown little willingness to consider the measure. For the last year, Democrats and activist groups have been pressing the matter in the form of a classic wedge issue, much in the same manner as the abortion and gun-control measures that are introduced every session. Democrats have charged obstruction, arguing that certainly there would be enough votes from moderate Republicans if the bill were ever permitted to come to the floor. The measure has tested the attitudes of Republicans at large toward the tricky issue of illegal immigration. While the state constitution makes clear that all children, regardless of status, are entitled to free public education in K-12 schools, college financial aid is an issue never anticipated by the framers of the constitution in 1889.

Senate opposition to the measure had been assumed by many, and the issue seemed a sure bet to figure in the November elections, pressed by partisan-tinged activist groups like One America. But a quiet lobbying effort had been mounted by Hispanic and community-group leaders in the opening weeks of this year’s session for a more tangible prize — the passage of a bill. In a Thursday-afternoon news conference, Bailey acknowledged the work they had done in convincing the Senate to allow a vote on the floor.

“This has been a tough process for many and not everyone is in agreement,” Bailey said. “I think it is time to make this a real act and not continue to have this as a political tool.” The $5 million contained in the bill, enough to pay for roughly 1,100 students, “won’t be near enough, but it is a first step toward coming to consensus. I don’t think we are all there yet. We all still have different opinions and I am not trying to say that our entire caucus is united with this. We are united as a caucus, but we have different opinions on this issue.”

Democratic Votes Expected

Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville.

Though not all members of the Majority Coalition Caucus support the measure, Democratic votes are expected to give the measure the more-than-25 votes that are required for a bill to win passage in the Senate. Last year, some 19 Democrats signed on to a Dream-Act proposal that provided no money for additional financial aid, and while three of those members have since given up their seats, Democrats have cited the Dream Act time and again as a top Democratic priority. In a statement Thursday afternoon, Senate Democratic leader Sharon Nelson declared her caucus will support the new Senate measure. “I’m pleased that after a year and a half of hard work by students, stakeholder and people from across our state, Senate Democrats will finally have the opportunity to vote for the Dream Act. People from all across our state have worked hard and waited a long time for this moment.

“This is wonderful news for the hard-working students who will finally have the same access to financial aid that their peers have always had. Each child should have the opportunity to fulfill his or her dreams. Opening the door to college is the right thing to do. This is a huge victory for our children and our state.”

While an easy call for the Democrats, the issue has proven more troublesome on the more-conservative side of the aisle. Under current law, non-citizens are not eligible for state financial aid. And there is a complicating factor – some 32,000 students already are on the waiting list for state need grants, and there isn’t enough money for the citizen population at present. The additional $5 million contained in Senate Bill 6523 would provide enough money for roughly 1,100 students. About 74,000 students currently receive financial aid, which is paid for by a combination of state and federal funds.

Because the bill allocates money for additional financial-aid slots, it ought to be seen in a different light than the earlier proposal, which would have taken opportunities away from the children of citizens, said Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville. “If we are going to go down the path of real hope, we need to pay for it. We don’t want to punish any young people, and putting money behind it means that we are not going to grow that backlog of young people who are waiting in line for a need grant.”

The decision on the Dream Act in Washington state comes as Republicans in Congress are signaling willingness to deal with immigration reform – a move that makes it harder to make the matter a wedge issue on the national level. A federal reform measure might allow federal funding to be provided for state need grants that go to the children of illegal immigrants, which would thus reduce the expense to the state of making financial aid available.

Community Leaders Praise Decision

Ricardo Sanchez of the Latino/Latina Educational Achievement Project praises Senate measure.

The decision to support the bill did not come easily. The House passed its version of the Dream Act bill twice, last year and again on the opening day of this year’s session, supported by Democrats and a broad swath of the House Republican Caucus. The Jan. 13 vote was 71-23. But the measure has not gotten a hearing in the Senate.

In the Senate, moderate members and a new group of Hispanic leaders have been urging their leaders to permit a vote on the measure. The decision to move forward finally came during a closed-door caucus session Wednesday night. At the late-Thursday-afternoon news conference, community leaders praised the decision to move forward with the bill. Ricardo Sanchez of the Latino/Latina Educational Achievement Project said the Senate version of the measure represents an improvement because it provides money – something that was missing in the earlier House version. “We appreciate the leadership and foresight they have shown in investing in these student scholars who are eager to be part of the American dream, to be here and to be productive contributing members of their community.

“We know for most of us in this information and technology age, it will take a college education. With the funding you are providing in this Bill, many more deserving students will receive the help they need to pursue their education. That is why we prefer the approach that you are taking in Senate Bill 6523, by making a clear funding appropriation. Ultimately we see Senate Bill 6523 as the unlocking of hope, aspirations and economic achievements for many students.”

Also speaking on behalf of the measure was Microsoft director Pedro Celis, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, and Nate Miles, chair of the board of the Urban League in Seattle. “I understand what these kids are going through, but more importantly I understand what an education brings and how it does help to create a dream.”

Some Opposition Remains

When the bill hits the floor, expect some opposition. State Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, among others, said he retains deep misgivings about the use of public funds to benefit the children of those who have entered the country illegally. Loans might be acceptable, grants are a different matter. He said he expects to debate the issue on the Senate floor. But he added that his position is tempered by compassion for the children, who arguably did not have any part in their parents’ decision.

“I think it is a positive step forward because I am tired of the Democrats using this as a political issue,” he said. “There was never any real money in the bill, so they have just used it as a political football, and I’m glad to see us come up with a solution that ends the political gamesmanship from the Democrats, and which looks to be a real solution for the kids.”

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