Dive Summary:
- Voters in Maryland approved the state's Dream Act 58 to 42% Tuesday, which will grant students without legal documentation to live in the U.S. eligibility for in-county tuition at Maryland's community colleges and in-state rates at public universities.
- The measure originally passed the state legislature in March, but its opponents launched a campaign to gather signatures and bring it to a referendum.
- Maryland's Dream Act is expected to affect 435 students in each entering class, and was predicted in March to cost the state $3.5 million by 2016 and have an overall positive economic impact.
From the article:
Maryland’s Dream Act, originally passed by the state legislature in March, will stand, as voters passed the measure Tuesday, 58 to 42 percent. Under the Dream Act, students without legal documentation to live in the United States can be eligible to receive in-county tuition at Maryland community colleges and in-state rates at public universities. “For students, it means that they can get an education, they can figure out how to pay for college,” said Roberto Juarez, a campaign coordinator with the United Dream Network. “Especially for students finishing community college and trying to figure out how to go to a four-year college, it makes it something they can achieve; it’s no longer just a dream.” ...