SACRAMENTO – Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles) released the following statement today on the Middle Class Scholarship Act:

“Today was an opportunity for the State Senate to join the Assembly in approving tax fairness for California businesses and college opportunity for middle class families. Unfortunately, even though most Senate Democrats supported the Middle Class Scholarship Act, we could not reach agreement with Senator Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) or Senate Republicans that would achieve the two-thirds vote necessary.

It is disturbing that Senator Correa and so many Republicans would refuse to stand up for the middle class and instead continue to support a tax giveaway that favors out-of-state companies over our own.

I appreciate all my colleagues who supported the Middle Class Scholarship Act.

Throughout this fight students from around the state made phone calls, sent emails, testified, visited legislators’ offices, and circulated petitions to help get the Middle Class Scholarship as far as it did. I am deeply grateful for all of their hard work on behalf of their fellow students. California’s students are worth swinging for the fences for, and I am proud to have stood with them throughout this process.

Their stories and their struggle to afford a college education must be remembered.  So should the inexplicable actions of the legislators who stood with out-of-state corporations instead of California companies and our middle class families.”

Website of Speaker John A. Pérez: www.asmdc.org/speaker

CONTACT: John Vigna (916) 319-2408