Two informative news stories today on THE petition drive…

…..Democrats are speaking up against giving in-state tuition to illegal alien students in Maryland.

First the Baltimore Sun in an article (hat tip: Cecil Calvert) that informs us on several issues relating to the petition drive reports:

Although the Maryland Republican Party and conservative groups such as the local chapter of Americans for Prosperity are leading the repeal charge, some Democrats also are lending support — or at least are signing the petition.

Sen. James Brochin, a Baltimore County Democrat, said he will sign the petition, volunteer if asked and advise anyone who asks his opinion to join the repeal effort. Brochin said even liberal Democrats have asked him, “What part of illegal don’t they understand?”

Baltimore County, home to 476,528 registered voters, could play a major part in the petition drive; Brochin said the county alone might even be able to provide all of the necessary petition signatures.

“It’s a working-class town,” said Brochin, who was born and raised in the area. “People in this county, myself included, they want what’s fair. This bill strikes at the heart of what’s fair. It’s totally counterintuitive to the work-hard-and-play-by-the-rules ethic that this county is about.”

[…..]

If the petition drive succeeds, politicians on both sides of measure say it could be in danger.

“I could easily see Maryland saying no to illegals,” Brochin said.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller made a similar prediction during the legislative session. The Southern Maryland Democrat supported the legislation but said he believes the majority of Marylanders do not.

Opponents, he said, can summarize their case in two words — “illegal immigrants” — while supporters must take the time to explain their position that the measure is about education, rather than immigration.

Read it all.

Then in the second news story I’ve seen today on THE petition, I see that the Maryland Reporter story by Glynis Kazanjian also quotes Senator Brochin and goes on to quote Del. Emmett Burns, also a Democrat:

But Del. Emmett Burns, Baltimore County Democrat who voted against the bill and supports the referendum, disagrees.

“I do think the people should decide whether or not they want this to happen,” Burns said. “This was pushed by a very liberal wing of the Democratic Party in the House and it was a very, very close vote. I think due to the closeness of the vote, the constituents of the state should make that decision.”

The bill passed 74-65, getting just three more than the required constitutional majority of 71 needed for passage.

Please all go read the Maryland Reporter article for a laugh—SB167’s chief sponsor Senator Victor Ramirez told the Maryland Reporter that big money from outside Tea Party interests was coming in to Maryland to back the petition drive.   As most of you who are working hard on this know first hand, this is a massive grassroots VOLUNTEER campaign and it is hilarious to note how wrong Ramirez is.  I guess its going to take the Hard Left a long time to realize we conservatives have real grassroots community organizing.

Be sure to have a laugh also about Ramirez’s claim that the referendum would cost Maryland taxpayers a lot of money and state officials contradict him.

*Important! *Important! *Important!

Note this line near the end of the Maryland Reporter piece:

Many petitions will be generated and printed from computers.  Petition forms that do not have the bill summary stapled to the signature page will not be validated, Duncan said.

Last night volunteers opened hundreds and hundreds of computer generated petitions and a number of you did not copy and attach the bill with your petition.  You will be notified to re-do your petition.  If you haven’t gone on-line yet and plan to, then please follow the instructions carefully (I know its hard to pay attention to all the details, but we will get this right!).

Another problem we noted is the lack of a signature as the “circulator.”  Even if yours is the only signature on the petition, you must also sign as the “circulator.”

For new readers who are arriving here for the first time, all of our coverage of The petition drive began, here.  You will find links for all the subsequent updates on the story at that post.   For another summary of the bill and the petition drive visit this article by Farrell Keough at The Tentacle.