62,000 Sign Anti-DREAM Act Petition

Immigrant tuition opponents meet first deadline in referendum effort

Opponents of the DREAM Act turned in 62,000 signatures to the state last night in hope of forcing a referendum on the new law.

That's more than the 40,000 signatures organizers of the petition drive predicted earlier in the day and significantly more than the 18,579 needed to keep the drive alive.

The signature sheets will be distributed to local elections officials, who will verify the signatures over the next 20 days.

"The reason this is resonating with voters is because this is a bad bill," said Del. Neil Parrott, a Washington County Republican who is leading the effort to put the DREAM Act to a public vote on the 2012 ballot.

The DREAM Act would allow students who are not in the country legally to pay in-state college tuition rates - first at community colleges, then at four-year state colleges and universities.

It was a divisive bill that split lawmakers during the recent 90-day General Assembly session in Annapolis.

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