Here's an excerpt - The leg history actually starts in 2001
2010
The 111th Congress continued to consider the DREAM Act bill throughout 2010. S. 3827, a new version of the DREAM Act, includes numerous changes to address concerns raised about the bill. The DREAM Act, along with a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", was incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act for the Fiscal Year 2011. On September 21, 2010, the Senate filibuster of the bill was maintained in a 5643 vote; it would have taken 60 votes to stop the filibuster and continue the progress of the bill.[27] The following day, Durbin introduced the bill once again along with Richard Lugar. Only two senators co-sponsored the bill and it was defeated again.[28]
Less than a month later, on November 16, President Barack Obama and top Democrats pledged to introduce the Dream Act into the House by November 29.[29] The House of Representatives passed the DREAM Act on December 8, 2010,[30][31] but the bill failed to reach the 60-vote threshold necessary to end debate on the Senate floor (55-41Motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment No. 3 to H.R. 5281).[32]
2011[edit]
On May 11, 2011 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid reintroduced the DREAM Act in the Senate. Some Republicans who had supported the bill in the past, including Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, Jon Kyl of Arizona, John McCain of Arizona, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, withheld their votes, objecting that such a bill should not be granted without increasing immigration enforcement. Reid indicated that he would consider adding a workplace enforcement measure in the DREAM Act that would require every employer to use E-Verify, the government's Internet-based work eligibility verification system.[33] President Obama supported the bill as one of his efforts to reform the US immigration system.[34]
In July 2011, the state of California enacted the California DREAM Act, giving illegal immigrant students access to private college scholarships for state schools.[35] In August, the state of Illinois authorized a privately funded scholarship plan for children of immigrants both legal and illegal.[36]
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=post&forum=1002&pid=9560275