This is what I keep hearing from my district every time I talk about this issue. 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. The licenses would not become available until July 1, 2023. 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. Massachusetts is on its way to joining 16 other states that grant drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants. The increase is "problematic for Massachusetts and for our country," said Commissioner Margret Cooke. Outside of spending levels, the budget talks -- which opened with brief public remarks before moving into private -- will feature some significant policy decisions as well, including a Senate proposal to create new licensing protections for Massachusetts reproductive health and gender-affirming care providers who may face legal challenges originating in other states. And the main reason for that is no ones ever been able to explain to me how you can actually document and verify someone who is undocumented.. Senate overrides Baker veto: Undocumented immigrants will be able to get driver's licenses, With override, House moves Massachusetts closer to drivers licenses for unauthorized immigrants, Baker vetoes immigrant license access bill. 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. Full transcript of Bidens State of the Union address, Mass. House lawmakers overwhelmingly supported the bill, which passed by a 120-36 vote. An Act Relative To Work and Family Mobility During and Subsequent to the COVID-19 Emergency doesnt mention either drivers licenses or illegal immigrants. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. The bill provides illegal immigrants the opportunity to obtain a drivers license in the Commonwealth starting in July 2023. All rights reserved. The hearing featured a wide array of supporters of the bills, including various Democrats in the Massachusetts legislature, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, Brazilian Worker Center, Rian Immigrant Center (formerly the Irish International Immigrant Center), the Boston Teachers Union, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, and both illegal immigrants and legal immigrants (who sometimes testified in foreign languages). Join us. 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. Countries that have consular offices each have their own varied requirements to get an identification card. "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. Support GBH. Charlie Baker. But youve found it. The House voted 11936 on Wednesday to override the veto. Baker vetoed the bill last month, saying in a letter to the House that it "undoes a critical safeguard to the driver's license issuance process" and that the Registry of Motor Vehicles doesn't have the expertise or ability to verify many types of documents from other countries. However, states regulate who may receive a drivers license or identification card. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. With override, House moves Massachusetts closer to drivers licenses for unauthorized immigrants, Baker vetoes immigrant license access bill. Some Massachusetts residents want drivers licenses for illegal immigrants. It now moves to the Democrat-controlled Senate for approval, and then to Gov. Their spending plans for the fiscal year that starts July 1 do not broach the idea of tax relief, though the final fiscal 2023 budget deliberations could revise the state's tax revenue forecast. "I consistently voted against this bill and I remain opposed to its passage into law.". DeSantis detailed the list of legislative proposals during a press conference in Jacksonville on Thursday, urging Florida state legislators to approve the initiatives that would increase criminal penalties for human smugglers, enforce a statewide ban on employers hiring illegal aliens, and prohibit counties from issuing drivers licenses to We've gained support from a wide range of stakeholders over the course of a number of years, said lead sponsor Sen. Brendan Crighton ahead of the vote on Thursday. Some who opposed the bill agreed with Gomez on one part of his testimony: that it is a pro-business bill. No. Brendan Crighton and Adam Gomez will attend, along with advocates. Please join us as we make a difference in the lives of newcomers. This session, having amassed enough votes to steamroll a veto, they went for it. We fully support submitting this question to the people to give them a direct say in their future," Diehl said Thursday without making clear. The Massachusetts State Senate will debate whether undocumented immigrants should be able to get drivers licenses in formal session Thursday morning. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Otherwise, a more common initiative petition likely could not go before voters until 2024, more than a year after the July 1, 2023 start date on which immigrants without legal status can begin applying for licenses. The Massachusetts House on Wednesday voted to override the governor's veto of the driver's license bill. This law provides driver's licenses to applicants who submit a valid foreign passport or consular identification and proof of residency, regardless of legal Undocumented immigrants will still need to prove their identity, date of birth and residency in Massachusetts using a range of documents including either a valid, unexpired foreign passport or a valid, unexpired consular identification document. Dongpeng Debao Commercial Center. Asked about whether methods used by consular offices to verify documents arent rigorous enough, Maloney said she wasnt sure and would have to look into that further.. The law specifically mandates that the state Registrar of Motor Vehicles develop procedures and regulations to ensure that license State law allows petitioners to bring forth a referendum to strike a newly enacted law if they collect, in this case, 40,120 signatures from Massachusetts voters, of which no more than 10,030 could come from one county, within 90 days after its passage. The Senate voted 32-8 Thursday. With your support, GBH will continue to innovate, inspire and connect through reporting you value that meets todays moments. "This bill would provide broad benefits to our municipalities. Please join us as we make a difference in the lives of newcomers. I dont support drivers licenses for people who are undocumented, Baker said during a 2014 GBH debate. I do not think that we should be rewarding people for being in the country illegally, Maloney said in a phone interview. Our lives are safer when every single driver has to pass a road test, a vision test, and obtain insurance.. |News Allowing undocumented immigrants to get around more easily would allow them to increase their earning potential and employers right now are having trouble recruiting qualified workers amid a time of record low unemployment in the state. "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.". Previous research by The Pew Charitable Trusts examined the decisions that 10 states and the District of Columbia made when designing and implementing their laws to issue driver’s licenses to unauthorized immigrants. 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. 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. With respect to our Congressional delegation, whos fighting the good fight, do we really think that Congress is going to find consensus on meaningful immigration reform anytime soon?. Thats because the states Republican governor, Charlie Baker, opposes giving drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. A Boston Globe-Suffolk University poll of 800 Massachusetts residents published in the spring showed residents were divided on the issue. MA Mobile Sports Betting Start Time Set Ahead Of March Madness, Free MA Community College Outlined In Gov's Budget. 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.. Mass. Advocates have long said undocumented immigrants would still be tested before driving, and go through qualifications a citizen driver would have to go through something opponents have pointed out as a concern in the past. 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. The measure is about being safe on the road, according to Elizabeth Sweet, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. Surely, we shouldnt have to rely on Charlie Baker, a Republican, and my former junior high classmate, to veto a measure that harms those at the bottom of the economic ladder.. The bill is now backed by the Massachusetts Major City Chiefs of Police and most Massachusetts sheriffs and district attorneys. This article was updated to include additional comments. The state Senate joined the House Thursday in overriding a veto by Gov. Maloney said she believes its absolutely possible to collect the signatures necessary to get on the ballot in November. It could also prevent undocumented immigrants from fleeing police during a traffic stop for the sake of preventing identification as an undocumented immigrant and risking deportation, supporters say, according to SHNS. Proponents of the Work and Family Mobility Act have long said it will improve road safety and assuage immigrants worries of being revealed as undocumented and face deportation because of a routine traffic stop or accident. Forty-seven percent said they opposed the drivers license bill, and 46 percent supported it, with 7 percent unsure. New to NewBostonPost? Their bills to accomplish that never surfaced for floor votes, but legislative leaders kept the conversations going behind closed doors. 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.. "It is unnecessary because we are just focused on the ability of someone to drive.". And that's basically and fundamentally what this bill is. Justice Kimberly S. Budd said leaders need to advocate for people who cant afford their own counsel. By 2019, 50,000 undocumented immigrants had taken written exams, vision tests, and road tests to get drivers licenses. 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. The bill still must be approved by the Massachusetts Senate, also controlled by Democrats, before heading to Baker. Zip code: 510375 On Thursday, Crighton said, On the issue of voting, weve debunked it again and again, and again.. Thats a problem, Baker said. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The state House passed a similar bill by a veto-proof 120-36 margin in February. The hearing featured a wide array of supporters of the bills, including various Democrats in the Massachusetts legislature, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. 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. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. The House voted 120-36 in favor of the measure. In your inbox every Thursday morning. Action would put mail-in voting and more early voting days on the table for this fall's elections, but for a majority of the legislators responsible for the bill, it won't make all that much of a difference. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Charlie Baker's formal opposition. He also said that Massachusetts cannot wait for Congress to offer protections for people who are in the country illegally. 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. Connecticut looks to join Massachusetts, others states in seeking ways to curb deadly highway wrong-way crashes. It's ironing out the intraparty disagreements that often proves tougher, and more time-consuming. And it puts tremendous pressure on cities and towns to do the cleanup on the back end.". The law, signed by Gov. We sat down with the chiefs and asked what their concerns were and worked with them. Pitching the bill as a road safety and immigration measure, supporters said it would ensure that some of the 185,000 immigrants who already live in Massachusetts without legal status are properly tested before driving and relieve their fears of traffic stops spiraling into devastating consequences. Legal Statement. APS ASSESSMENT: False. As of 2016, there are about 250,000 undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts, according to a report from the American Immigration Council. View All Newsletters. Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr rose in opposition to the bill, calling it very, very problematic and citing concerns over voter registration. Undocumented workers in some states must choose between driving illegally and risking exposure to the virus by sharing rides. Charlie Baker and authorizing drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants. Charlie Baker. I am one of those who comes to the chamber concerned about some of the provisions before us, concerned because a drivers license is one of the most, if not the most, recognizable, important pieces of identification in our society, bar none, Bruce Tarr, the chambers minority leader, said at the start of the session, the news service reported. 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. While GOP lawmakers are not on board, there's a chance Democrats will need to take fewer steps to finalize the elections reform bill than they did the licensing law. Not to mention, drivers with licenses are better equipped to obtain car insurance. 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. The votes were there to pass the bill and Democrats in both branches flexed their political muscles in a 24-hour span to cement the licensing bill as law by clearing the two thirds hurdle needed for a veto override. 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. Driver's Licenses, ID Cards Being Replaced After Printer Mishap, Mass. 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