Panetta urges vote on DREAM Act

Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Salinas) has signed a petition to force the House of Representatives to consider the DREAM Act of 2017, according to a press release issued Monday.

The DREAM Act of 2017 is a bill that would permanently protect people who entered the country illegally as children, allowing them to remain and work legally in the U.S.

If the petition is signed by a majority of members of the House of Representatives, it would force the bill to be brought to the floor for a vote.

"The reality is that in order to protect DREAMers, the majority needs to bring legislation to the floor of the House of Representatives," said Rep. Panetta said in the release. "It is my hope that by signing this discharge petition, my colleagues and I on both sides of the aisle will be able to vote on this bipartisan, permanent solution that ensures DREAMers can continue to contribute to our strong communities and great country."

"These kids, who were brought here as children through no fault of their own, including a number I met with on the Central Coast, deserve to no longer live in fear of being deported from the only home that they have ever known," Panetta continued. "When the President decided to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or the DACA program, he put 800,000 lives in limbo. The DREAM Act is a direct response to the president's call for Congress to pass a replacement before he begins phasing out the DACA program. The DREAM Act must pass without delay."

An estimated 20,000 so-called "dreamers" currently live in Panetta's district, according to the release.