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In a statement last Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) promised a vote on the DREAM Act during the lame-duck session. (Politico, Nov. 18, 2010) “I will move the DREAM Act as a standalone bill in the lame duck,” Reid wrote on his Twitter account. (Politico, Nov. 17, 2010) “It’s good for the economy & Pentagon says good for [national] security.” (Id.) Reid’s promise came the day after Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chairwoman, Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), announced that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tentatively set a vote on the DREAM Act for as soon as November 29th. (Capital Wire PR, Nov. 16, 2010) Later that day, President Obama also reaffirmed his commitment to seeing an amnesty bill passed during the lame-duck session. While meeting with members of the CHC he remarked that he wants the DREAM Act passed during lame-duck as a “down payment” for further amnesty bills. (Politico, Nov. 17, 2010; See also FAIR’s summary of the DREAM Act)
In a last ditch effort to gain more votes, Sen. Reid placed two new versions of the DREAM Act, introduced by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), on the Senate calendar Thursday morning. (CQ Today¸ Nov. 19, 2010) Both versions (S. 3962, S. 3963) eliminate a provision that allows states to grant in-state tuition to illegal aliens. (Id.) One of the versions (S. 3963) also reduces the age limit from 35 to 30 years, although the provision in the DREAM Act providing retroactive benefits to illegal aliens of any age make this particular maneuver meaningless.
In an effort to educate his colleagues on the consequences of passing the DREAM Act, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), the ranking Republican member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, circulated an alert on the DREAM Act. Sen. Sessions points out some of the key flaws in the DREAM Act legislation, including:
* The DREAM Act grants amnesty to certain criminal aliens—such as those who failed to attend their removal proceedings, have engaged in voter fraud, and have engaged in marriage fraud;
* The DREAM Act does not actually require the completion of any educational degree program from an institution of higher education (including vocational schools and community colleges), but rather a beneficiary must prove only that he or she has finished two years of course work within eight years of the grant of LPR status.
Sessions also points out that the DREAM Act prohibits the use of any information contained in the amnesty application from being used to prosecute or initiate removal proceedings who have engaged in fraud in the application process.
On the House side, the latest reports from Capitol Hill claim that the DREAM Act may appear as an amendment to the Help Haiti Act of 2010 (H.R. 5283)—a bill that grants green cards to about 1,400 Haitian orphans while they are in the process of being adopted by Americans. (CQ Today, Nov. 17, 2010) Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), the original sponsor of the Help Haiti Act, denounced the tactic, stating that his Act “is about helping the children in the wake of the earthquake” and should be passed “free of unrelated, controversial measures.” (Id.) The House version of the DREAM Act (H.R. 1751), is similar to the Senate versions but has no age limit.
Even if Sen. Reid and Speaker Pelosi fulfill their promises and bring the DREAM Act to the floor, opponents hope to block the bill from ever reaching a vote. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) wants the bill to be open to amendments by Republicans—something that Sen. Reid prohibited last time the bill was up for a vote. (National Journal, Nov. 18, 2010) If Sen. Hatch gets his wish, the amendments could take up what little time the Senate has left before the new Congress takes office. (Id.) Both the Senate and the House are adjourned until the afternoon of Monday, November 29th, with numerous spending bills on their plate and promises for the passage of several controversial measures unfulfilled.
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http://www.rightsidenews.com/2010112...r-22-2010.html
..we will find out in about 2 weeks.