The California Dream Act has caused a backlash after recently being signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. The controversial legislation to help illegal aliens pay for college will be repealed if opponents get their way. California State Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-Hesperia) is gathering signatures for a referendum to eliminate part of the California Dream Act. 505,000 signatures are needed to qualify a referendum for the November 2012 ballot to get rid of Assembly Bill 131 , which lets illegal aliens get taxpayer-funded scholarships for free. Assemblyman Donnelly said the California Dream Act, which takes effect January 1st, will create a magnet for record levels of illegal immigration to California. “At a time when we’re broke, when we have 2 million people unemployed, when state colleges are underfunded and overbooked, we’re creating a brand new entitlement,” Donnelly declared. The California Dream Act was proposed by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), consisting of two bills, both of which Democrat Jerry Brown signed into law: AB 130 , which gives illegal aliens privately-funded scholarships AB 131 , which gives illegals aliens taxpayer-funded scholarships Donnelly’s proposed referendum targets only the second part of the new California law, called the California Dream Act, the part that hands the tax dollars from legal citizens over to illegal aliens. Supporters of the California Dream Act say that California’s working families have a responsibility to invest in a university education for undocumented immigrants, and they say that Assembly Donnelly’s efforts will fail. This stance has outraged a growing number of California taxpayers, many of whom cannot afford to put their own children through college. Because of the California Dream Act, the Department of Finance estimates that thousands of students will now get Cal Grants costing tens of millions of US dollars. To qualify the referendum, Donnelly and volunteers must collect 505,000 validated signatures by January 6th .