• Categories

  • Post Archives

  • Twitter Updates

      > Follow us on Twitter

    • Latest Posts

    • Meta

    Posts Tagged
    ‘Dream Act’


    By: Caitlin Maguire

    News Round-Up: Friday, June 3, 2011

    Friday, June 3rd, 2011

    War on Voting update: progress has been made as the California Senate has passed same-day voter registration in an effort to increase voter turnout: http://bit.ly/jJ9BsL.

    John Edwards is being indicted; for some reason, people want to own what little belongings the Unabomber had; Jack Kevorkian has died; “Cytromichous” is a word and yes, someone had to spell it; and Pink has a baby girl.

    In sad RTV news, this will be Rock the Vote’s Communications Director, Maegan Carberry’s last edition of the Movement News. Maegan’s RTV legacy will live on as the Movement News continues to arrive in inboxes each morning. We’ll miss you, Maegan!

    Maegan + Caitlin

    CRUCIAL:

    Two-Time Democratic Presidential Hopeful John Edwards Indicted, http://wapo.st/mDWS4w

    John Edwards has been indicted on six counts today. He is being charged with illegal campaign contributions, using campaign money to cover up his affair with Rielle Hunter and their secret child, and more.

    Bidders Spend Nearly $190K to Snatch Up Hoodie, Manifesto, Typewriters in Unabomber Auction, http://wapo.st/j5HZWt

    In an auction to benefit the Unabomber’s victims, bidders spent close to $190,000 to own his belongings. The Unabomber is currently in a court battle to have the items returned to him.

    Assisted Suicide Advocate Jack Kevorkian Dies, http://bit.ly/jtt948

    Pathologist Jack Kevorkian died from kidney and heart failure this morning at the age of 83. Kevorkian was best known for advocating assisted suicide. He is said to have assisted in 103 suicides; for them, he was sentenced to 10-25 years in prison. He was released from jail in 2007.

    Obama DREAM Act Ad Causes Backlash Among Latino Voters, http://bit.ly/kDyFPq

    Many Latinos in Denver, CO are unsatisfied with Obama’s lack of follow through with the DREAM Act. Their disappointment was exacerbated when Obama for America sent out an e-mail asking for campaign contributions to help pass the DREAM Act. Latino youth groups are writing letters asking for discontinued use of the ad.

    (via POLITICO Morning Tech) W.H. OFFICIALS WERE TARGETS OF GMAIL HACK – Among the targets of the Chinese hackers who broke into Google’s Gmail system were people who work at the White House, The Wall Street Journal reports (http://on.wsj.com/k9ykWN ). Top analysts are warning the federal government that the phishing scam targeting high-profile admin officials on Gmail is proof positive that Washington must boost its data security. “No one company can solve this problem,” James Lewis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Michelle Quinn in today’s Pro story. “We’ve tried a faith-based approach to cybersecurity. It’s not going to work.” MORE HERE: http://politico.pro/m5OPNA

    Deadly E.coli Mixes Common Toxin with Rare “Glue,” http://reut.rs/kqbS37

    Scientists studying Europe’s recent strain of the deadliest E.coli ever have discovered that it contains a glue which causes the bacteria to stick to intestines. So far 17 have died and 1,500 have been ill from the strain.

    Is the “Obama Generation” in Play for 2012?, http://bit.ly/kf3OB9

    Recent college graduate Joseph Maddalone surveyed 500 young people about the 2012 election. Many of those who voted for President Obama in 2008 are unsure if they will vote for him in 2012. They voiced dissatisfaction with his actions as president, especially now that they are entering the work force and feeling the wrath of the economy.

    CULTURAL:

    Pa. Girl Aces ‘Cymotrichous’ to Win Spelling Bee, http://bit.ly/ktQvuz

    Pink Gives Birth to Baby Girl, http://bit.ly/kWGlj1

    Gisele Bundchen: First Billionaire Supermodel?, http://bit.ly/jIhmut

    Scarlett Johansson and Sean Penn Split after Less than Four Months Together, http://nydn.us/krZ82s

    Rihanna Responds to Criticism over ‘Man Down’ Video, http://bit.ly/lq7MLk

    (via Cynopsis) Jane Lynch, playing Glee’s favorite meanie on FOX, the role that won her an Emmy Award in 2010, will take on a new gig as host of the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, airing live on FOX September 18.  The event will be broadcast from the NOKIA Theatre in Los Angeles.  Nominations for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced at 540a PT on July 14.

      Caitlin Maguire
      Bio: Caitlin is the Marketing & Operations Manager for Rock the Vote
      @caitlinmagu
      Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

      Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
      Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off


      By: Thomas Bates

      UPDATE On Lame Duck Congress

      Friday, December 10th, 2010

      After a dizzying week in Washington the politics aren’t over yet.  Here’s your updated cheat sheet so you can keep track, keep score and keep hope alive. The week that was…


      DREAM Act: The U.S. House of Representatives passed the DREAM Act by a vote of 216-198 on Wednesday night. This legislation would provide a path to citizenship for young people brought to the U.S. illegally before they turned 16, provided that they’ve lived in the country for at least five years, have graduated from high school or gotten their GEDs, and have clean police records.  That path is attending college or serving in the military for at least two years.

      The (in)action is now in the U.S. Senate.  (Bills have to pass both the House and Senate to become law, as civics junkies know.)  Senate leader Harry Reid has said they’ve had to delay the vote because the Democrats can’t get 60 votes to break the Republican filibuster.  (Fun fact: in order to pass bills in the Senate, you need 60 votes, not just 50 because of the filibuster rules that require a 60-vote majority to end debate on a particular bill and bring it up for a vote.)

      Are the votes there to make this the law of the land before 2010 runs out? We’ll see.

      DADT: Ugh? Efforts to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy failed in the U.S. Senate yesterday.  Why, you ask?  The filibuster!  The vote was 57 to 40 in favor of moving forward with consideration of the big Defense bill (which includes repealing DADT), but as we learned with the DREAM Act (and hundreds of other pieces of legislation), 60 votes is the coin of the realm.  The funny thing is: 60 Senators have said they support ending DADT, but not all of them voted for moving forward yesterday.  Strange days.  Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a separate, free-standing bill that would straight-up end DADT (not as part of the Defense bill), and we’ll see if they can get that bad boy considered, voted on and passed.

      If so, the House will take that bill immediately.  As Speaker Pelosi Tweeted yesterday:
      “@SpeakerPelosi If new Lieberman & Collins #DADT bill passes Senate, an army of allies stands ready to pass standalone repeal in House http://go.usa.gov/1pb”

      Tax cuts: The week began with President Obama announcing that he had reached a compromise on the Bush-era tax credits and a whole host of other tax breaks.  Of particular interest to us, one of the items included in the compromise package is the American Opportunity Tax Credit for education, a priority for young people which improved the HOPE credit for tuition expenses and increased maximum credit to $2,500 (up from $1,800).

      The politics of the tax bill are just blindingly complicated, so we won’t go into it here.  The policy fights around this are also very complicated.  The White House has an explanation about it in video and chart form.

      Want more charts?  Click here.

      Pell grants: Finally, we’re pushing for Congress to fully fund the Pell Grant program.  Congress has set $5,550 as the maximum award level for students, but has not appropriated the money need to make that happen.  Without the appropriation of an additional $5.7 billion, the maximum aid award next year will be slashed by $845.  We’re concerned because without action we are looking at a more than 15 percent reduction to the program, which would eliminate Pell Grant access for hundreds of thousands of students while millions more will have their awards deeply cut.

      The House passed a spending bill that would fully fund the program. As with most everything else, we are waiting to see what the Senate does.

      Stay tuned.
        Thomas Bates
        Bio: Thomas is Rock the Vote's Vice President of Civic Engagement.
        @BatesThomas
        Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

        Tags: , , ,
        Posted in Congress | 1 Comment »


        By: Maegan Carberry

        Last-Minute ‘Lame Duck’ Laws?

        Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

        The cast of characters in Congress will change significantly in the New Year, but for now the peeps who brought you the stimulus bill, healthcare and financial reform still have a (tiny) chance to pass a few laws during their “Lame Duck” session. This could affect issues like access to college for the children of immigrants, gay military service, and college affordability, which may impact you or your friends.

        Some things to watch:

        Advocates of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act), will argue for a “path to citizenship for tens of thousands of young, undocumented immigrants who attend college or serve in the military for at least two years,” reports DC’s go-to wonk site, Politico, noting that “critics still dismiss the proposal as ‘amnesty’ for illegal immigrants.” The measure is one possible component of comprehensive immigration reform, which many experts say is unlikely to pass under gridlocked Congressional leadership in the next two years. The DREAM Act targets young people brought to the U.S. illegally before they turn 16, provided that they’ve lived in the country for at least five years, have graduated from high school or gotten their GEDs, and have clean police records, among other stipulations.

        A similar fate awaits the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which would allow for openly gay soldiers to serve in the military. A long-awaited Pentagon report on the policy was released this morning. It concluded that gays could serve with no harm to national security, and will be an influential factor in how some congressional leaders vote on the issue.

        Likewise, the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which is a refundable credit worth up to $2,500 a year for college, is set to expire this month.

        Here’s a great snapshot of how things could play out. The measures have gained support with Democrats in the past, and Republicans are expected to block them.

          Maegan Carberry
          Bio: Maegan is Communications Director of Rock the Vote.
          @maegancarberry
          Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

          Tags: , , , ,
          Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »


          By: Thomas Bates

          DREAMs, Don’ts and Defense: the Senate Today

          Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

          Today, the U.S. Senate will take a critical vote to end debate on the annual defense spending bill and move forward with up-or-down votes on the bill itself. The outcome of this vote – and ultimately the ability to pass the bill at all – is uncertain, largely because of the inclusion of a provision in the bill that would end the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that forbids gays and lesbians from serving in the military if they are open about their sexual orientation.

          Also at stake is the DREAM Act, which would allow hundreds of thousands of young people a potential path to citizenship by allowing them to serve in the military or attend college. The bill requires a person seeking permanent residence status to successfully complete either military service or attend college. To be eligible, immigrants will, among other things, have to: have resided continuously in the U.S. for at least five years, be of good moral character, have graduated from a U.S. high school or obtained a GED certificate in the U.S., and have been admitted to an institution of higher education in the U.S. Conditional permanent resident status may be terminated if the immigrant ceases to meet the requirements, becomes a public charge, or receives a dishonorable discharge from the U.S. military. Click here to read some more on the DREAM Act.

          Click here to read The New York Times rundown of what’s at stake

          Lady Gaga is all over it. Senator John McCain is locked in. Are you?

            Thomas Bates
            Bio: Thomas is Rock the Vote's Vice President of Civic Engagement.
            @BatesThomas
            Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

            Tags: , , ,
            Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off


            By: Amanda Pagay

            Students Speak Out on the DREAM Act

            Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

            This weekend, students across the country spoke out on an issue that has sparked hot debate among the public and politicians since the passage of Arizona’s most infamous immigration law earlier this year. Immigration reform has been a priority of the Obama Administration and Congressional leaders and a part of comprehensive reform will be revisited today when the Senate considers moving forward on a vote on the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (the Dream Act).

            College students have voiced their support of the law, which would give a path to citizenship to students who were brought into this country as children and are not citizens or do not have legal status and have resided here for at least five years. On Sunday, students in Florida spelled out a life-size message with their own bodies on South Beach: Call LeMieux! Sen. George LeMieux (R-FL) has yet to publically comment on his position on the bill.

            California immigrants wearing caps and gowns staged a public fast, while students in Utah organized a call-in campaign and sit-down vigil to voice their support. In Phoenix and Boston, Republican Senators John McCain and Scott Brown received a visit from dozens of students performing military drills outside their office buildings. These students wish to enter the military under the terms of the student bill, but cannot due to their immigration status.

            Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) attached the Dream Act as a rider to the defense appropriations bill that is scheduled to come up for a preliminary hearing this afternoon; though it’s unclear whether there is enough support to overcome Sen. McCain’s threatened filibuster.

              Amanda Pagay
              Bio:

              Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com

              Tags: , ,
              Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

              « Older Entries