By Sarina Trangle
When it comes to gaining state Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr.’s (D-Howard Beach) support for the Dream Act, it’s all about the money.
Addabbo, the lone Democratic senator from the city to withhold support for the bill, said he had concerns about where Albany would come up with the funding to implement the Dream Act.
The legislation would permit undocumented students who graduate from high school in New York to apply for financial aid for colleges. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli estimated in May that it would cost about $20 million to extend financial assistance eligibility to those in the country illegally, but hypothesized that the cost would be mitigated by the tax income and other economic benefits reaped from a better-educated workforce.
“If we’re going to increase the number of those looking for assistance without increasing the funds, I think that’s wrong,” Addabbo said. “There’s no mechanism in the bill to create the $20 million.”
As written, the senator said he worried that the Dream Act would lead to cuts to other agencies and services. Addabbo said he would be more likely to back the bill if Gov. Andrew Cuomo identified a funding stream for its implementation, but would still have reservations.
“There are those who are citizens who aren’t getting the educational assistance right now,” Addabbo said. “You could have a situation where qualified individuals, receiving money right now, might not receive as much or any.”
Addabbo’s stance on the Dream Act has attracted the attention of Make the Road New York, an organization advocating for Latino and low-income New Yorkers.
Natalia Aristizabal, a youth organizer with the group, said Addabbo indicated he had not signed off on the Dream Act because his constituents didn’t back it. She said the organization petitioned in his district in an attempt to prove him wrong.
She said her team sought support near St. Matthias Church in Ridgewood Sunday and gathered about 500 signatures from the more than 600 passers-by who approached. She said Make the Road planned to return Thursday to another part of the Senate district, which stretches from Rockaway to Rego Park, and then submit the petition to Addabbo.
Aristizabal said state Assemblyman Francisco Moya (D-Jackson Heights) plans to call for a vote on the bill in late February or early March and that the chamber passed the act last session.
The Senate would pose more of a hurdle. Bills require 32 votes to pass the chamber, and so far only 26 lawmakers have signed onto the Dream Act.
Aristizabal said all city Democrats in the Senate have signed onto a bill introduced by Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) — except Addabbo.
Addabbo said there must have been miscommunications between Make the Road New York and his staff regarding the reasoning behind his stance on the Dream Act. He said he had no formal barometer on how his constituents viewed the legislation.
“There are other issues that are certainly more relevant to my constituents — health care, finding a job. I don’t think the Dream Act is on the radar screen of many,” he said.
Reach reporter Sarina Trangle at 718-260-4546 or by e-mail at strangle@cnglocal.com.
