The Texas Dream Act

Introduction: Why did you select this policy and what will you be doing with it.

History: How did this policy come to be? Was it in reaction to some national event? Who favored and who opposed this policy?

Evaluation: Is this policy working? For instance, if you selected the policy that gave us student loans/grants, you will want to explore whether more students are attending college as a result? If the policy is about national security, has this policy made the country safer? Do not guess on this one, do the research and find information to back up your contention that said policy is working or not.

Personal and Social Responsibility: What did you learn about this topic and this process? Do we, as a society, have an interest in the government acting to address the problem you identified?

Content— address the various sides of the issue with the student drawing personal conclusions based on their own analysis of the issue, and demonstrating an understanding of its complexities. Compare and contrast the different viewpoints of sources used on your topic taking into account the limits of a position. Present an informed evaluation of the evidence and different viewpoint surrounding the topic.

Conclusion: Wrap everything up with a strong conclusion.
The Texas Dream Act
The Texas Dream Act, also known as the House Bill 1403 issues the in-state tuition for Texans immigrant students without legal status. The bill was first introduced in Texas, in 2001, before other states in the U.S adopted it (Flores, 435). This bill allows all the students in Texas, regardless of their immigration status, an opportunity to be classified as the residents in the state so that they can be charged similar tuition rates at public Texas universities and colleges. In the absence of this eligibility, the out-of-state students would be suffering from the higher international rates. The Dream Act operating in Texas serves to promote education, development and provide relief for everyone including the alien minors. The Texas Dream Act allows both the documented, for instance, the visa holders, and undocumented Texas resident students to acquire higher education. The Act is useful to discourage amnesty program and produces a variety of economic and social benefits in the U.S. Moreover, the Act encourages the processing of legal immigration document for the student victims of illegal immigration (Tripedia. 1). The policy recognizes that children cannot be incriminated or denied benefits in the state simply because of the mistakes of their parents.
The Texas Dream Act came to be after the Texas Legislator adopted the House Bill 1403 in the year 2001. The bill aimed at allowing immigrant students to benefit from the in-state tuition. The then-Governor, Rick Perry championed the bill in Texas Senate and suggested that the Act would provide a pathway for continued development in the state. The senate and house journals of the 2001 session indicate that the House Bill 1403 was supported without opposition. The House passed the measure on April 23, 2001 (142-1) whereas the Senate amended and approved it on May 21, 2001 (27-3). The House then passed the senate’s changes (130-2), and Governor Perry signed it into law on June 16, 2001 (The State of House Association, 1).
The Texas legislature passed the House Bill 1403 (HB 1403) with full support. The representative Rick, in collaboration Fred Hill, Domingo Garcia, Ismael Flores, and Elvira Reyna collaboratively upheld and supported the bill. Leticia Van de Putte was the sponsor of the bill. However, later after the passing of the bill, some Texan’s conservative legislators, including the state Representative Leo Berman and Debbie Riddle filed a legislation to revoke the 2001 law, arguing that the law was discriminative to the documented U.S citizens from other states that charge such immigrants the higher tuition rates at Texas public colleges and universities. Until this far, the suggestions to repeal the act have ever failed, and the previous law of 2001 is still in effect.
The policy in the Texas Dream Act is operational in Texas. Also, other states like Utah, Illinois, California, Oklahoma, New York, New Mexico, Kansas, among others later adopted similar bills. The students that benefit from this policy in Texas are those who have stayed in the state for at least three years before receiving a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) or graduating from high school, a year before Texas public college and university admission, and have affidavits assuring the intention to apply for documents indicating a permanent resident status. Many immigrant students have benefited and continue to benefit from the policy (Jessica, 599). In 2013, nearly 25,000 non-documented resident students (1.9% of the total students) benefited from the in-state tuition rates. In 2015, less than 2% of 1,625,255 enrolled in Texas public community, universities, public health, state and technical institutions under the policy. An approximate of 1.8% of the entire Texas students receive aids due to the Texas Dream Act (Centre for Public Policy Priorities. 3).
The Texas Dream Act policy has a social responsibility. It also has both individual and economic benefits. Even though the subject has a few contentious views in the Senate, the profits that the community receives are worthy. As the society directly affected by the law, we engage student interviews that clearly illustrate the system and the grants received. In 2015, Sandra Tovar testified before the U.S Senate about her experience as the beneficiary of the policy. She as a dreamer is currently giving back to the society as she works under the DACA program that has legally allowed the Texas Dreamers to gain equal opportunities and work legally. About 21.2 % of the whole labor force in Texas is from immigrants who play a leading economic role in the state (Centre for Public Policy Priorities. 3). Lastly, the immigrant beneficiaries of the policy are also job creators who power the Texas state economy. They own roughly 18.4% of small businesses within the state (Centre for Public Policy Priorities. 2).
Some House members like Campbell who sponsored the bill to terminate the in-state tuition, show the fear that the policy rewards and perpetuates more illegal immigrants. Other conservative legislatures also argue that the in-state tuition would be unfair because other legal U.S citizens from states different from Texas pay tuitions at the higher rates charged for the out-of-state students at Texas colleges (Tripedia. 1). However, the proponents of the Act argue that the policy protects the investments Texas has made through educating yet-to-be-registered immigrant students. Those who support the act argue that it is unfair to punish students for the decisions of their parents.
In conclusion, the Texas Dream Act has many benefits that enhance the Texas’ economic developments. Moreover, students use the policy to acquire legal immigration documents legally. Lastly, all students have the same opportunity for education due to the policy and, therefore, increasing the general living standards within and outside of the state.
Works Cited
Centre for Public Policy Priorities. “The Texas Dream Act: What You Need to Know.” March 2017, forabettertexas.org/images/EO_2017_TxDreamAct_FactSheet.pdf
Flores, Stella M. “The first state dream act: In-state resident tuition and immigration in Texas.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 32.4 (2010): 435-455.
Jessica, Sharron. “Passing the dream act: Opportunities for undocumented Americans.” Santa Clara L. Rev. 47 (2007): 599.
The State Historical Association. “Texas Dream Act (House Bill 1403).” 27 April. 2017, tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mlt03
Tripedia. “The texas Tribune.” Dream Ac. N.d. web 27 April. 2017. www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/dream-act/about/