By State Rep. Roberto R. Alonzo
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas As soon as it happened on Wednesday December 8 I was among the first group of elected officials groups organizations & other advocates from Texas who joined a growing list from every geographic corner of the country applauding the passage of the DREAM Act by a 216-198 vote in the United States House of Representatives. And I did it with much pride jubilation and joy keeping in mind the perfect timing of the year it was happening - during the Christmas Holidays.
What better way to celebrate.
At the same time however I also celebrated with a little reluctance because I know this is only the start of the journey as the road ahead is still not fully navigated and complete. The measure must still muster enough support and pass the US Senate before it reaches the presidents desk.
The president has already indicated he would support it if it gets there. However being the optimist that I am when it comes to education we are starting to see the end of the tunnel as many would say but we must not let our guard down now either more than ever before.
In fact more than ever before we should continue to fight the fight that initially started almost a decade ago in 2001 as HR 1751 and let dreams of a college education become a reality for many deserving young men and women across the country including thousands in Texas alone.
One thing is certain for sure. Texas lawmakers have already experienced this fight and I would hope our congressional leaders in Washington would follow suit and learn a lesson from the Texas model regardless of party affiliation philosophy or political leanings - liberals and conservatives alike.
If you will recall almost a decade ago the Texas Legislature in 2001 with bipartisan support from Democrats and Republicans liberals moderates and conservatives alike coupled with a signature by Republican Governor Rick
Perry passed
House Bill 1403 our own version of the Texas DREAM Act.
And while there have been attempts by past legislatures to either amend or abolish the Texas measure to this day we still have a Texas DREAM Act intact something that I am proud to support too. I have heard many testimonials and personal stories from students parents and educators talk about its success in Texas. So why change something that is not broken? It is that simple.
In Texas we have seen many dreams of a college education and successful careers flourish and come to fruition because of HB 1403 and what it has to offer for future generations. Had it not been for HB 1403 I am certain our educated workforce could be worse in Texas.
I am certain of that and while I will also be one of the first to admit that it is not perfect it is moving us in the right pathway to success and continues to show promising results. The statistics are showing that as more students take advantage of HB 1403 the more they are able to contribute to the economic health climate and stability of society at large right here in Texas.
The Texas DREAM Act allows that all students regardless of immigration status may qualify for in-state tuition and complete a college education provided they have lived in Texas a minimum of 3 years prior to high school graduation and at least one year prior to college enrollment.
Most importantly there is no doubt that once they graduate from college they become a huge factor in attacking some of the negative societal ills including less dropouts shorter unemployment lines less dependence on social poverty programs increased crime rates and other negative societal ills that are traditionally associated with a less educated citizenry.
Without a doubt every capable Texas student should have the benefits of going to a college or university regardless of family income status immigration status ethnicity or prior collegiate track record in the immediate family.
Equally important all Texans and Americans alike - and that includes Latinos (our new MAJORITY in TEXAS) should have the opportunity to succeed professionally and survive economically in our society whether it be in urban rural suburban east west north or south Texas. We must be honest with ourselves and face the facts.
We cannot afford to cheat our future generations. The thousands of young men and women who graduate from our public high schools in Texas every year and dream of a college education will be the future leaders and molders of the next generation. They will be our future doctors lawyers teachers engineers accountants secretaries public elected officials business owners and even our future governors and presidents.
Failure to act now means that we will only continue to perpetuate a problem and a vicious cycle that will not go away unless we get serious about our current deplorable scenario.
In short the
Texas DREAM Act - HB 1403 - is alive and doing well and continues to show promise.
What better lesson to teach our congressional leaders during this holiday season than to learn from the Texas model.
