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Know Your Rights
Source: Capital New York
Subject: Immigration
Type: Media Coverage

Immigration group pushes for Dream Act, more school aid

Make the Road New York, an immigration advocacy group, on Thursday will release its “budget for immigrant New York,” a list of priorities that focuses heavily on the Dream Act as well as increases in state aid and the minimum wage.

Governor Andrew Cuomo included several education measures in his $141.6 billion executive budget, including tying the Dream Act to a tax credit for private and parochial schools.

The Dream Act, which narrowly failed in the Senate last year, has become a point of contention between both houses of the state Legislature. The legislation would, among other things, provide state tuition assistance to undocumented students.

The Democrat-led Assembly included the legislation in its one-house budget resolution, while the Republican-led Senate has been adamantly opposed to it, but in favor of the education investment tax credit.

Make the Road New York is also asking for $2 billion in school aid, up slightly from the Senate’s proposed $1.9 billion and the Assembly’s $1.8 billion. The request is a significant increase from the Governor’s proposed $1.1 billion hike.

The group is also pushing for the Assembly’s minimum wage hike proposal, which would raise the over three years, with increases tied to inflation, starting in 2019. The plan would increase the wage to $10.50 at the end of 2016, and to $12.60 two years later. In New York City, Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties, the minimum wage would be higher—$12.50 at the end of 2016 and $15 two years later.

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