Hatchet buried in Albany

From the NY Observer:

The rift between mainline Democrats and the Independent Democratic Conference appears to have been mended.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and State Senator Jeff Klein, the leader of the breakaway faction of Democrats that governs the senate with the GOP, said in a joint statement this afternoon that the Democratic conference and the IDC would unite in a new power-sharing agreement after the fall elections, sidelining the Republican Party.

“As Democrats, the IDC remains committed to the fight for an equal education for all New York students – which the Dream Act would provide, protecting a woman’s right to choose, increasing workers’ wages, and enacting meaningful campaign finance reform. I agree with Governor Cuomo that these are progressive priorities we must pass,” Mr. Klein said in a statement.

“Therefore all IDC members are united and agree to work together to form a new majority coalition between the Independent Democratic Conference and the Senate Democratic Conference after the November elections in order to deliver the results that working families across this state still need and deserve,” he added.

Mr. Klein and Mr. Cuomo, along with Mayor Bill de Blasio and labor leaders, have met behind closed doors in the past few days to discuss the possibility of reconciliation. Mr. de Blasio helped broker a deal to deliver the Working Families Party line to Mr. Cuomo last month and in turn Mr. Cuomo promised the left-leaning party–and Mr. de Blasio, a liberal Democrat–that he would work to put the Democrats in the majority.

Left-leaning Democrats have bemoaned the IDC-GOP power sharing agreement because it kept the Republican Party in the majority and stifled some liberal legislation. Democratic primary challenges were launched against IDC members this year in retaliation; it’s not immediately clear if these challenges, including ex-Comptroller John Liu’s bid against State Senator Tony Avella and ex-Councilman Oliver Koppell’s challenge to Mr. Klein, will continue.

Cuomo's priority is not driver licenses for illegals

From the Daily News:

Gov. Cuomo said Sunday a proposal to let undocumented immigrants get drivers licenses in New York is going nowhere for now.

“I think what we’re focusing on this year is the DREAM Act,” Cuomo said, referring to the measure that would allow undocumented immigrants to get state financial aid for college. “I don’t think any other license proposal has any credibility this year.”

Immigrant groups launched a push earlier this year to allow those in the country illegally to get licenses, which eleven states now allow. Bills to change New York’s policy have been introduced in the Assembly and the Senate.

Vallone still pandering to illegals

For someone who's positioned himself as tough on illegal immigration, Peter Vallone, Jr. sure has an interesting mailer to the Hispanic community.

Ackerman vs. GOP on Dream Act

From Douglaston Patch:

"The DREAM Act is a humanitarian bill that helps kids who are our neighbors that are being punished for a decision they did not make," Ackerman said. "All children – documented or undocumented – deserve the same basic educational opportunities that this bill provides."

The act would allow children who were brought to the United States before their 16th birthday and have lived in the country for at least five years to earn permanent legal status.

The bill would require that youths had no criminal record. It would assist them in gaining citizenship through college attendance or joining the military.

Ackerman said the legislation would help as many as 934,000 students who are presently in elementary or secondary school.

"We must fight to pass this legislation now before the current Congress ends because next year we won't have the votes," he said. "We owe these children that much."

Ackerman's letter, which he sent out last week to members of Congress, currently has more than 40 co-signers.

In the letter, the congressman writes that undocumented children have been "held hostage by a national immigration debate that has been both hostile and overtly partisan."

From Fox 5:

As President Obama and his Democratic allies push to pass legislation this year that would allow certain illegal immigrants to become legal US residents, Republicans are pushing back with details about the DREAM Act that have gone largely unnoticed, FOXNews.com reported Saturday.

The legislation would permit young people to become US residents after spending two years in college or the military. It would apply to immigrants who were under 16 when they arrived in the US, have been in the country at least five years and have a diploma from a US high school or the equivalent.

But Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) released a "DREAM Alert" revealing that at least one version of the legislation would allow qualified illegal immigrants up to the age of 35 to gain resident status, prevent the Department of Homeland Security from removing any illegal immigrant who has a pending application -- regardless of age or criminal record -- and offers amnesty to qualified illegal immigrants with misdemeanor convictions, even DUIs.

The alert says that not only would the legislation put an estimated 2.1 million illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship, it would also give them access to in-state tuition rates at public universities, federal student loans, and federal work-study programs.

Illegal immigrants who gain citizenship under this legislation will have the legal right to petition for the entry of their family members, including their adult brothers and sisters and the parents who illegally brought or sent them to the US.