LGBT Immigrant Rights Coalition of Chicago—a coalition focused on LGBT inclusion within immigration policy and made up of Chicago-area LGBT organizations—lauded Gov. Pat Quinn signing the Illinois Dream Act into law Aug. 1, according to a press release.
“The LGBT Chicago Coalition cannot thank the Governor and the legislature enough for their tireless work to improve the lives of so many immigrants who came to this country seeking a better life,” Julio Rodriguez, chair of the LGBT Immigrant Rights Coalition of Chicago, said in a statement.
The act allows students who are undocumented immigrants to qualify for a privately funded scholarship program and to be able to participate in state-sponsored college saving programs. It also creates the Illinois Dream Commission to collect private donations for the scholarship fund and to monitor the implementation of the Act.