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State Representative Tim Mahoney
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4277
For more information contact: Matt Swenson 651-297-8406
NEWS COLUMN
STANDING UP FOR THE DREAM ACT; I VOTED MY CONSCIENCE
My work in the Legislature has been strongly rooted in doing what I can to improve the lives of others – particularly in areas of job growth, economic development, fair labor practices, and increased access to education. Working with community leaders, labor organizations, legislative colleagues, and constituents, I have made considerable progress through the legislative process in providing a better future for my constituents on St. Paul's Eastside and all Minnesotans.
This session, I have continued that work with my legislative colleagues in crafting policies that will strengthen Minnesota's future and allow the people of this state to obtain good jobs, provide for their children, and pursue their dreams.
But, regrettably, some Minnesotans have been pushed aside in the name of political compromise this session. Their hopes of pursuing a more affordable college education were squandered last week when a provision known as the Dream Act was axed from the Higher Education Conference Report.
The Dream Act was intended to provide in-state tuition at Minnesota state colleges, universities, and technical schools to children of undocumented workers living in Minnesota. The provision would have given these potential students, like all other Minnesota students, an equal opportunity to pursue an affordable education.
As a member of the Higher Education and Work Force Development Policy and Finance Division, I heard testimony throughout the session from both supporters and opponents of this provision. To be honest, I can't understand why anybody could be against this proposal. It simply makes sense. Throughout the session, I have yet to hear a reasonable explanation of why these Minnesota citizens should be denied the opportunities that so many other Minnesotans are provided based purely on the circumstances of their births. The fact of the matter is that their parents brought them here so that they could have a better life. They deserve an equal chance to go to college to make that dream a reality.
Nonetheless, to avoid a veto from the Governor – who strongly opposes the Dream Act – 11 members of the House and Senate appointed to confer the Higher Education bill decided to strip the provision from the Conference Report.
There were many good provisions in the Higher Education Conference Report that I fully supported and even helped draft. However, when the bill came to the House floor, I voted my conscience and cast my vote against its final passage. I did so because I simply could not accept this blatantly cowardly concession to appease the Governor at the expense of good people who want only to be treated fairly, and pursue an affordable education.
Taking the Dream Act out of the Higher Education Conference report was wrong. It affected a lot of people on the East Side – children of hard working people who came here to create a better future for their children. These citizens deserve the chance to make a better future for themselves and their children; just like everybody else.
I am proud of the vote I took this week. I voted my conscience and I voted for the people of our community who were pushed aside for the sake of expediency in this bill. I will continue to stand behind all of my constituents, regardless of their background, circumstances, and socioeconomic status, to ensure that they are treated fairly and given equal opportunity to succeed in this great state. I will continue to be a voice for all of the people of our community, because it's the right thing to do.
News Items
- DFL Legislators Introduce the “Contraceptive Equity Act” - (Posted: 2012-03-07 00:00:00)
- DFL Jobs Initiatives to be Heard in House Jobs and Economic Development Committee - (Posted: 2012-02-29 00:00:00)
- REP. MAHONEY, DFL LEGISLATORS BUILD ON DFL JOBS PLAN WITH NEW INITIATIVES - (Posted: 2012-02-01 00:00:00)
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