Everett Herald 

Jerry Cornfield

The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation Wednesday giving a path to citizenship for students brought illegally into this country by their parents.

The bill dubbed the DREAM Act passed on a 216-198 vote . It now goes to the U.S. Senate where a vote could be held as early as today.

Every Washington Democrat in the delegation -- except retiring Rep. Brian Baird -- voted for the bill. Republican Reps. Dave Reichert and Doc Hastings opposed while Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers was absent.

According to Rep. Rick Larsen's office, the DREAM Act allows eligible immigrant students aged 29 or under, who have lived here for at least five years and were brought to the U.S. by their parents before the age of 15, to apply for conditional non-immigrant status and eventually become eligible for lawful permanent resident (LPR) status after 10 years, if they choose to serve in the military for two years or attain a college education.