Rick Karlin reports in the Albany Times Union that Assembly Democratic Majority Speaker Carl Heastie said Jan. 23, “Today we will pass the DREAM Act for the ninth and final time.” That's because Democrats now control the State Senate, so this year the bill passed both chambers and is expected to be signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The bill allows an estimated 6,000 undocumented immigrant students statewide to be eligible for state scholarships such as the Tuition Assistance Program. “The DREAM Act is a $27 million giveaway to the children of illegal immigrants,” said Republican Daphne Jordan, who represents Rensselaer County and parts of Columbia County. Colleges eventually get the funds, so there support is unsurprising. “New York’s private colleges wholeheartedly support the DREAM Act so that those undocumented students have the opportunity to pursue higher education at the college or university that represents their best fit,” said Emily Morgese, spokesperson for the state Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities. Read the full story in the Albany Times Union.