Illinois House Passes DREAM Act

The Illinois DREAM Act would give undocumented students access to a scholarship fund through private donations

Thousands of undocumented students in Illinois could soon get help to pay for college.

On Monday, the state House of Representatives approved the Illinois DREAM Act with a 61 to 53 vote.

The measure would allow more than 95,000 children of undocumented immigrants to have access to a scholarship, funded through private donations, and would not cost anything to tax payers, according to Rep. Edward Acevedo who sponsored the bill. The scholarships would only be available to children who graduate from Illinois high schools.

The DREAM Act would also allow families of the students to partake in the State's two college tuition savings programs -- Bright Start and College Illinois programs. It would also encourage training high school counselors to guide these students on how to pay for higher education.

The legislation will now go to Gov. Pat Quinn's desk. The Governor has said he supports the bill, and is expected to sign it as early as next week.

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