LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION urging the New York State Congressional delegation to enact the federal DREAM Act.
WHEREAS, The federal DREAM Act ( Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act) is a bipartisan legislation that would permit certain students conditional legal stay and eventual citizenship granted that they meet all of the following requirements: if they were brought to the United States before they turned 16, are below the age of 35; have lived here continuously for five years; graduated from a U.S. high school or obtained a GED; have a good moral character with no criminal record; and attend college or enlist in the military; and
WHEREAS, the DREAM Act is a legislative proposal first introduced in the Senate on August 1, 2001 and most recently reintroduced there on May 11, 2011; and
WHEREAS, in a December 2010 report, the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that the DREAM Act would "reduce deficits by about $1.4 billion over the 2011-2020 period and increase government revenues by $2.3 billion over the next 10 years; and
WHEREAS, a recent UCLA study estimates that between $1.4 trillion and $3.6 trillion in taxable income would be generated for the economy over a 40 year period based upon estimates ranging between 825,000 and 2.1 million potential DREAM Act beneficiaries successfully obtaining resident status through the legislation; and
WHEREAS, Immigrants come to the United States of America with a strong work ethic and the hope of improving their quality of life, as well as assuring their families’ future; and
WHEREAS, This strong work ethic benefits the communities they live in and our nation as a whole by successfully fulfilling employment positions which are often difficult to fill; and
WHEREAS, The United States has prided itself on being a melting pot for the many cultures that make up our global community; America has always embraced the multitude of cultural gifts and traditions immigrants have brought with them to our beloved nation; and
WHEREAS, We are a nation that welcomes, not a nation that rejects or denies the freedoms and opportunities which the Statue of Liberty represents; and
WHEREAS, In this ever expanding globalized economy we must do all that we can to cultivate the intellectual capital residing in our nation by providing these youths with financial assistance towards a higher education and the opportunity to fulfill the American Dream; and
WHEREAS, By enacting the DREAM Act, this legislation would liberate immigrants from the fear of deportation to their former countries; furthermore, it will provide them with a process by which they could become United States citizens; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the New York State Congressional delegation be and hereby is respectfully memorialized by this Legislative Body to enact the federal DREAM Act; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to each member of the Congressional delegation from the State of New York.
