intervene and exempt Florida from that law, which led to Thursday's vote.

The House amended the bill, though, adding that for a noncitizen to get a Florida law license, he must register for the military draft, which Godinez-Samperio has done. The Senate is expected to agree today, the last day of the session, which would send the bill (HB 755) to Gov. Rick Scott, who said Thursday he will sign it.

"I couldn't believe how much support there was in the Legislature," said Godinez-Samperio, a paralegal at Gulf Coast Legal Services. "I feel great that we have been able to educate a lot of people who felt differently."

He has spent weeks meeting with individual lawmakers and his legal team has emphasized that Godinez-Samperio has met all of the Bar's admissionrequirements, including a background check for character and fitness. Another key argument they made is that for other state-regulated occupations, citizenship is not a requirement to obtain a professional license.

As a so-called "Dreamer," Godinez-Samperio is in the United States legally, but not permanently. He has work authorization, a Social Security card and a Florida driver's license.

Thursday's vote, combined with lawmakers' support for cheaper in-state college tuition for undocumented immigrant students, are two watershed policy changes affecting undocumented immigrants that would have been unthinkable a year ago in Tallahassee.

"This is truly transformative," said Patsy Palmer, one of Godinez-Samperio's lawyers.

It also reflects a dramatic election-year shift in the Republican Legislature at a time when Scott appears to face an uphill battle winning re-election in a state where Hispanics are the