California is broke. It owes more than $25 billion, businesses and residents are fleeing like dine-and-dash customers to less taxed states; this financial catastrophe is leaving a gaping spending and revenue problem for the Golden State.
Rational lawmakers would see the writing on the wall and start cutting the budget line by line. However, adding insult to injury, one California lawmaker thinks the state should allow illegal aliens to apply and receive dwindling financial aid for colleges.
Only in America would Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, (D-Los Angeles) introduce legislation (AB130 and AB131) that would place illegal aliens on a level playing field with residents who have lived and paid taxes in sunny California.
Californians are struggling to stay afloat during the state’s lingering recession that teeters on the brink of financial collapse. Despite the looming financial meltdown lawmakers continue to introduce legislation that punishes legal residents and aids illegal alien students. Both AB130 and AB131 bills increase the number of illegal alien students who are exempt from paying nonresident college tuition.
Cedillo says it’s no big deal but he is very wrong, after a two-day college budget summit, the University of California regents came to the conclusion that serious changes are on the horizon.
The UC colleges (not the state colleges which are facing identical challenges) said the new cuts equate to a 16.4 percent reduction of state support, an 8 percent tuition increase, and nearly half of the UC financial aid as well as 80 percent of student services funding will see cutbacks.
Additionally, 22,000 out-of-state students will gain preference over residents and the UC College regents say they will have to cut 50,000 students beginning this fall semester.
According to activist groups, AB131 legislation would penalize citizens or legal immigrant students by reducing the financial aid available to them and blurs the lines between those who are here legally and those who broke federal immigration laws.
In the past California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, vetoed similar bills, but it appears newly-elected Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, has indicated he supports giving financial aid to illegal alien students and will sign the legislation.
For more stories; http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/kimberly-dvorak
© Copyright 2011 Kimberly Dvorak All Rights Reserved.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: California madness continues- free college for illegals proposed - San Diego County Political Buzz | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/california-madness-continues-free-college-for-illegals-proposed#ixzz1Bh8bo2r5
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