Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. The new law will allow undocumented immigrants to apply for a standard state drivers license beginning July 1, 2023. This is what I keep hearing from my district every time I talk about this issue. To apply for a drivers license, immigrants will have to show two documents proving their date of birth and identity, like an unexpired foreign passport, consular The bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license in Massachusetts will now become law. Sign up for the GBH News Politics email newsletter, featuring complete local politics coverage along with insights from our team of political reporters. WebThe state offers 2 types of licenses, 1 of which complies with the REAL ID law for those who can provide proof of lawful presence. Join us. Whether it's Healey or someone else, the next governor will have their work cut out on a series of intimidating and harrowing obstacles even if the state remains on good fiscal footing. It now moves to the Democrat-controlled Senate for approval, and then to Gov. Charlie Bakers veto. Secretary of State Bill Galvin turns down 20% pay raise. Get all the latest from Sanditon on GBH Passport, How one Brookline studio helps artists with disabilities thrive. Starting July 1, 2023, anyone in Massachusetts regardless of immigration status can apply for a standard driver's license. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File), The Massachusetts State House in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston. "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. Forty-seven percent said they opposed the drivers license bill, and 46 percent supported it, with 7 percent unsure. Will this be the year the bill passes? We have far more important problems to fix, Kropper said. The law specifically mandates that the state Registrar of Motor Vehicles develop procedures and regulations to ensure that license While some in law enforcement have backed the bill, many have declined to take a position, according to Republican state Rep. Timothy Whelan, of Brewster. Undocumented immigrants will still At least one document must contain a photograph. Legislators have several more steps to complete before the bill can become state law. New to NewBostonPost? We did change some of the bill and made sure that we're really clear on the types of documents people need to provide to get licenses, said Rep. Christine Barber, lead co-sponsor of the House bill. Stay up to date with everything Boston. "Indeed, many of our policy chiefs support the bill as a public safety tool and agree that it will enable law enforcement to better identify individuals at traffic stops or scenes of an accident.". The conference committee that took months to produce an accord agreed to give prospective voters 10 more days before an election to register, but they opted against a Senate-approved policy allowing new voters to register and cast a ballot in one trip to the polls. 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. A Suffolk University-Boston Globe poll of 800 Massachusetts residents published Monday found that 46.6% of residents oppose the measure, while 46.1% support it. The final vote in the Senate was 328 to approve the bill over Baker's objection. 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Road safety and immigration reform advocates spent years unsuccessfully pressing lawmakers to act, arguing that expanding license access would ensure undocumented immigrants who already live in Massachusetts are properly tested before getting on the road and rein in their fears of law enforcement entanglement. Sen. Jim Guthrie (R-McCammon) testifies before the Senate Transportation Committee regarding his bill to make a restricted driver's license available to all Idaho residents regardless of immigration status. The Massachusetts State Senate will debate whether undocumented immigrants should be able to get drivers licenses in formal session Thursday morning. 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. MA Mobile Sports Betting Start Time Set Ahead Of March Madness, Free MA Community College Outlined In Gov's Budget. May 30, 2022 Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has vetoed a bill that would allow immigrants without legal status to get driver's licenses. This bill is a free ticket to government benefits, Lynch said. "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 Super Bowl: What Has Happened to America? Forty-seven percent said they opposed the drivers license bill, and 46 percent supported it, with 7 percent unsure. Legal Statement. 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. Charlie Baker and authorizing drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants. "The legislature has now resoundingly supported the Work and Family Mobility Act, moving all state residents toward greater road safety, improved security, better public health and a more vibrant economy, and promising a profound transformation in the lives of undocumented immigrants across the Commonwealth.". This legislation is distracting us not just from the needs of U.S. citizens but even people here who are here illegally. or redistributed. While the legislation has now cleared both chambers with more than three-quarters of elected lawmakers in support, Bay Staters in general are nearly evenly split Without the support of Republicans who negotiated the final bill, lawmakers began advancing a measure to make mail-in voting and expanded early voting permanent options in Massachusetts. The override was not the only display of political strength Democrats made this week. Illegal immigrants in Massachusetts will be able to obtain driver's licenses after state lawmakers voted Thursday to override a veto from Republican Gov. But for How Long? He also said the bill restricts the registrys ability to share citizenship information with those entities responsible for ensuring only citizens register for and vote in our election.. Baker on Monday said his administration would "start the process of implementing it pretty much immediately.". Still, he gave credit to one Democrat: Transportation Committee Co-chair Rep. William Straus, who Baker said ensured the administration would have additional time to prepare for the new normal. Undocumented workers in some states must choose between driving illegally and risking exposure to the virus by sharing rides. Banking as an Undocumented Immigrant. would become the third state to make it lawful for adults to grow, ingest and give away certain psychedelic plants and fungi. It can tear families apart, and that is a heavy, heavy burden to carry that fear through the daily activities of one's life.". An Act Relative To Work and Family Mobility During and Subsequent to the COVID-19 Emergency doesnt mention either drivers licenses or illegal immigrants. Five Democrats joined the chamber's three Republicans in dissent, but backers still got more than enough favorable votes on record to signal the Senate would clear the two-thirds vote needed to override a potential veto. A Suffolk University-Boston Globe poll of 800 Massachusetts residents published Monday found 46.6% oppose the proposal, 46.1% support it and nearly 7% are undecided. By Christian M. Wade Statehouse Reporter. He said his amendments were rejected in a rush to move this bill forward. He said one of those addressed the design of the licenses which arent going to look any different from current licenses, and could cause problems with voter registration. 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. Vote No On All, Massachusetts Bill Would Provide Free College For Illegal, Massachusetts Senate Bill Would Provide In-State Tuition To, With Howitzers and Helicopters, Western States Trigger, Three Massachusetts Members of Congress Backing, Elizabeth Warren Wants To See More Defense Contractors, Maura Healey To Release Proposed Fiscal Year 2024 Budget This Week, West Roxbury State Rep Cashing In With Massachusetts Biotechnology Council Gig. To put the question of whether the law should be repealed on the November ballot, petitioners will need to collect at least 40,120 signatures from registered voters, no more than 10,030 of which can come from a single county, in less than three months. 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. Democrat Sens. |Profile Senate Democrats are also hoping for a two-thirds majority vote. Skeptics and opponents of the bill should look to the experience of the 16 states that have already adopted similar measures, said Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, a Springfield Democrat and son of immigrants. These newly-licensed drivers will generate about $6 million in initial fee revenue over the first three years. House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, as they have for months at this point, said their respective branches continue to deliberate in private about still-in-development tax packages without offering many details beyond a broad promise that the bills would aim to help vulnerable populations. That surplus-bound outlook is, well, pick your description from the latest batch offered this week: "rosy," as Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation President Eileen McAnneny put it; "absolutely unprecedented," in the words of MTF's Executive Vice President Doug Howgate; or "just crazy," as Baker told business leaders. Charlie Opponents of a new law that will allow immigrants without legal status to seek driver's licenses took a preliminary step Monday toward asking voters to scrap the measure, while Democrats celebrated their success in pushing the bill and overcoming Gov. "I don't see this the same way the House and the Senate see it," Baker said Monday. 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. Thats bad policy. Allowing undocumented immigrants in Connecticut to obtain driver's licenses may have reduced hit-and-run crashes in the state. But youve found it. 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 Massachusetts House passed legislation Wednesday that opens a pathway for some undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses in the state, a This article was updated to include additional comments. Former acting ICE director Tom Homan explains how President Biden's border strategy is enticing more illegal immigration and voices concerns with ICE's new policy to consider migrants' military service. Idahos bill Charlie Baker, who has opposed similar legislation in the past. The state Senate joined the House Thursday in overriding a veto by Gov. Baker voiced his concerns about the bill Thursday morning, SHNS reported. Bill sponsor Sen. Brendan Crighton, a Lynn Democrat, argued against this compromise, according to SHNS, saying it would prevent undocumented immigrants from testing for a license, which would go against the point of the bill. Despite the overwhelming support from the Legislature, Massachusetts residents are split on allowing undocumented immigrants to get drivers licenses, a recent poll showed. And it puts tremendous pressure on cities and towns to do the cleanup on the back end.". Sarah Betancourt is a bilingual reporter for GBH News, and longtime Boston muckraker. She was a reporter for CommonWealth Magazine, and senior immigration reporter for Law360. To apply for a drivers license, immigrants will have to show two documents proving their date of birth and identity, like an unexpired foreign passport, consular identification document or certified copy of a birth certificate. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Charlie Baker delivers his state of the state address Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020, in the House Chamber at the Statehouse, in Boston. On Thursday, Crighton said, On the issue of voting, weve debunked it again and again, and again.. Our streets will be safer for everyone when all drivers have passed road tests, and vehicles are registered and insured," a letter from 19 mayors and town managers supporting the bill read in part. The bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license in Massachusetts will now become law. 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