He also said that Massachusetts cannot wait for Congress to offer protections for people who are in the country illegally. "Trying to ensure our driver's licenses have integrity and cannot be misused for various purposes those are important things, and those things don't go away because of the hardships we've heard about," Tarr added. The new law will allow immigrants without legal status to apply for a standard state drivers license beginning July 1, 2023. We sat down with the chiefs and asked what their concerns were and worked with them. Its why 16 states and the District of Columbia already allow immigrants without legal status to get a drivers license if they meet certain conditions. Legal Statement. Many argue that we should let the federal government do its job when it comes to immigration reform. Join us. Republican Gov. They will also have to provide one of five additional documents: a drivers license from another U.S. state or territory; a birth certificate; a foreign national identification card; a foreign drivers license; or a marriage certificate or divorce decree from any U.S. state or territory. Driver's Licenses, ID Cards Being Replaced After Printer Mishap, Mass. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Conservative media is hard to find in Massachusetts. A long-debated proposal to expand driver's license access to undocumented immigrants took a major step Thursday toward becoming law, clearing the Massachusetts Senate with a strong enough margin to overcome the prospect of Gov. Dongpeng Debao Commercial Center. Lawmakers voted this week to override his veto of a bill that will allow illegal immigrants in the state to apply for a driver's license. The bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license in Massachusetts will now become law. Please join us as we make a difference in the lives of newcomers. Maureen Maloney and Kevin Dube filed paperwork with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance on Monday to create the Fair And Secure Massachusetts committee, intending to repeal drivers licenses for illegal aliens, according to one of the forms. Copyright2022 HongmeiCo.,Ltd.Allrightsreserved. We're talking about a situation now where, under the current statute as I understand it, all the rules associated with determining lawful presence are going to go away. I think the RMV [Registry of Motor Vehicles] is not equipped to properly vet people coming to the United States from over 100 different countries and being able to reliably decipher their documentation that, first of all, in the different language and second of all, for validity.. However, for right now and today, I am looking forward to the ceremonial bill-signing," Senate President Karen Spilka told reporters about half an hour before gathering with other lawmakers, union leaders and activists for a "bill signing" ceremony in the State Library, across the building from the governor's office. If passed into law, Massachusetts would join 16 other states and the District of Columbia which already have similar laws. Baker voiced his concerns about the bill Thursday morning, SHNS reported. We couldn't do it without you. Two conference committees kicked off their work this week, one tasked with resolving major differences between House and Senate sports betting bills and the other assigned with producing a final annual state budget. The Massachusetts State House in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston. The Massachusetts House passed legislation Wednesday that opens a pathway for some undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses in the state, a Proponents said the measure will improve road safety and assuage immigrants worries of being revealed as undocumented and face deportation because of a routine traffic stop or accident. The bill would also make it less likely for immigrants to leave the scene of an accident because they would face less of a threat of deportation with a drivers license, backers said. Mass illegal immigration is what you wanted Sign up for the newsletter to receive periodic updates on Cato research, events, and publications. Here's what we know. I do not think that we should be rewarding people for being in the country illegally, Maloney said in a phone interview. The bill creates two categories of drivers licenses and non-driver identification cards: federally-compliant REAL ID, which is only available for documented residents, and the Standard Basic drivers license and ID, which will be available to all New Jersey residents regardless of immigration status. Applicants who cannot provide proof of lawful State Senator Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) said that he sympathizes with those who fear deportation because they frequently drive illegally because their immigration status prevents them from getting a drivers license from the state. Lenny Mirra-vs.-Kristin Kassner State Rep Race One of Several Massachusetts Elections Decided By One Vote, ) before the Joint Committee on Transportation. The vote was 32 to 8, with five Democrats voting with the chambers Republicans against the bill, State House News Service (SHNS) reported. City hopes state legislature boosts shelter aid. View All Newsletters. Printed from: https://newbostonpost.com/2021/06/24/proponents-opponents-lay-out-arguments-against-drivers-licenses-for-illegal-immigrants-in-massachusetts/, EightPillars of the Modern Democratic Party. A campaign filed paperwork Monday with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance to create a committee, called "Fair and Secure Massachusetts," seeking to repeal the law enacted over Baker's veto last week. Over the course of Thursday's debate, senators beat back attempts by Republicans and a handful of Democrats to distinguish the licenses that could be awarded to undocumented immigrants, either by offering them entirely separate "driver privilege cards" or by requiring a standard Massachusetts license issued to an immigrant without legal status to be printed in a different color or declare that it is not eligible as a form of identification. Full transcript of Bidens State of the Union address, Mass. Support GBH. The first must be either a valid unexpired foreign passport or a valid unexpired consular identification. Charlie Baker and authorizing drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants. BOSTON (AP) The Massachusetts House approved a bill Wednesday that would let immigrants in the country illegally obtain state drivers licenses. Senators voted 32-8 in favor of the controversial reform, which has drawn skepticism from Baker and split voters. With the passing of the law, Massachusetts joins 16 other states and Washington D.C., that have similar laws. Thats a problem, Baker said. Wakeman said the campaign is still working to collect the initial 10 signatures required to launch a referendum campaign. The 120-36 vote means the bill won the support of more than two-thirds of lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled House enough to override a potential veto by Baker. Migrants have faced a warm welcome but major challenges, like housing and education. At least 16 states, including Connecticut and Vermont, allow residents to get a drivers license or permit regardless of immigration status, supporters say. ", "Green card holders are required to explicitly demonstrate lawful presence, OK? ". Huanhua Road
"There's a ton of policies and procedures and training that will have to be done across the registry to actually pull this off, and there's no one who works for the registry currently who knows what any of these foreign documents look like or how to determine their validity," he said. Minnesota state legislators recently passed the Drivers License for All bill (HF 4), which could pave the way for undocumented immigrants to get valid drivers licenses. Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Analysis: Mass. This bill would enable all qualified state residents to apply for a standard state drivers license, regardless of immigrant status, while keeping our Commonwealth in full compliance with REAL ID requirements. The new law will allow undocumented immigrants to apply for a standard state drivers license beginning July 1, 2023. A No vote on the question would repeal the law (H.4805) that is scheduled to make illegal immigrants eligible to obtain drivers licenses starting on July 1, 2023. Proponents of the bill say it expands access to services for immigrants and helps police if every driver has passed a road test and has an insured and licensed vehicle. Sarah Betancourt is a bilingual reporter for GBH News, and longtime Boston muckraker. The legislation, approved on a 120-36 vote, would require individuals provide documentation to obtain a license including proof of their identity, residency in the state and date of birth. Forty-seven percent said they opposed the drivers license bill, and 46 percent supported it, with 7 percent unsure. "This is clearly a complete overstep on the part of people who don't understand what the voters, what people in Massachusetts want out of their government," Wendy Wakeman, a Republican strategist who is working with the nascent referendum campaign, told the News Service. The bill has won support from many of the states sheriffs and district attorneys and the Massachusetts Major City Chiefs of Police. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Crighton noted in his speech that the law will require the Secretary of State to keep tabs on the voter registration process to be sure nothing goes amiss. "It is unnecessary because we are just focused on the ability of someone to drive.". Sen. Sonia Chang-Daz, a Boston Democrat, added that in many of them, the rate of uninsured drivers and hit-and-run crashes dropped after implementation of the policy. |Service
Attorney General Maura Healey implored Bay State employers to think about abortion laws, too, saying that heightened restrictions being put in place in other states could cost billions of dollars in productivity "because it actually affects whether women go to school, stay in school, join the workforce, stay in the workforce, contribute to our economy. More on Driver's Licenses. Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. The bill still must be approved by the Massachusetts Senate, also controlled by Democrats, before heading to Baker. "Today, the House took a significant step towards bringing all Massachusetts drivers under the same licensing and insurance standards, regardless of immigration status," House Speaker Ron Mariano said. The Minnesota Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that would allow illegal immigrants the ability to obtain a U.S. driver's license without requiring proof they are in the country lawfully. That's a problem," Baker said Thursday morning. Senate Democrats are Receive the latest news and breaking updates, straight from our newsroom to your inbox. Speakers pepped up the crowd and recounted the license policy's long road toward becoming law, with one legislator recalling that it was a young Rep. Marty Walsh who first filed the bill many years ago. All rights reserved. Charlie Baker, who has opposed similar legislation in the past. The original version of the bill was introduced almost 20 years ago, and multiple iterations have cropped up and failed, including one from then-state Rep. Marty Walsh in 2007, who is now the U.S. Secretary of Labor. A bill to allow undocumented immigrants to get drivers licenses in Massachusetts is all but law Thursday, passing the Senate with a large enough margin to overrule a veto from Gov. If passed into law, immigrants would qualify for a Massachusetts standard driver's license if they presented valid proof of identity, date of birth and state residency. However, states regulate who may receive a drivers license or identification card. At My Undocumented Life we provide up-to-date information and resources for undocumented immigrants and allies. At least 16 states, including Connecticut and Vermont, allow residents to get a drivers license or permit regardless of immigration status, supporters say. She said she wants to leave the measure up to the voters, citing the Globe-Suffolk University poll. Baker vetoed the bill on May 27, saying the Registry of Motor Vehicles did not have the capacity to verify the identities of immigrants without legal status and arguing that the bill "significantly increases the risk that noncitizens will be registered to vote.". Legislative leaders who steered the long-debated bill through the House and Senate said they have some worries about the prospect of a statewide campaign on the topic. Massachusetts Gov. Sen. Adam Gomez told members of the Senate that the bill would give undocumented members of the community the same flexibility and options everyone else has in driving. It basically means, in some respects, the Registry is going to be flying blind with respect to what it issues when it issues these licenses. We have far more important problems to fix, Kropper said. Story tips can be sent tolouis.casiano@fox.com. APS ASSESSMENT: False. Under the new law, someone in the country illegally would have to provide a passport or consular identification document to apply for a driver's license. Republican candidate Geoff Diehl said he would support a ballot question to repeal the legislation, according to statement from his campaign. I know that the economic purpose of immigration is to depress wages, Kropper said. Illegal immigrants in Massachusetts will be able to obtain driver's licenses after state lawmakers voted Thursday to override a veto from Republican Gov. 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