May 9, 2011 - The California Assembly passed the Dream Act (AB 130) on May 5, which would allow certain illegal immigrants to receive financial aid for higher education, according to the Sacramento Bee. The vote was 51-22 (6 members did not vote) and divided cleanly along party lines, with Democrats voting in favor and Republicans opposing.
From January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010:
- Interest groups that support this bill (Teachers Unions, State & Local Government Employee Unions, etc.) gave 22 times as much to Assemblymembers who voted YES as they gave to Assemblymembers who voted NO.
- In total, groups supporting the bill gave an average of $48,287 to Assemblymembers who voted for the measure and only $2,147 to members who voted against the measure.
The bill was supported by a number of powerful unions, including AFSCME, the California Teachers Association, the Service Employees International Union, and the California Federation of Teachers. MapLight analysis shows that, of the $2.5 million in contributions in the 2010 election cycle from these organizations to Assemblymembers and senators that served in the 2009-2010 or 2011-2012 sessions of the California State Legislature, funding went almost exclusively to Democrats.
California campaign contributions data source: National Institute on Money in State Politics.
