California to pass driver's license for Undocumented

[tecpaocelotl]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...98C0OQ20130913

California governor to sign driver's license bill for illegal immigrants

California Governor Jerry Brown said on Friday he would sign a bill authorizing the state to provide driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, a last-minute reversal of his position.


Brown said he approved of the measure, which its author had withdrawn on Thursday under the threat of a veto, capping a full day of lobbying by California politicians for immigration reform at the federal level.


"This bill will enable millions of people to get to work safely and legally," Brown, a Democrat, said in an email sent to reporters shortly after midnight. "Hopefully it will send a message to Washington that immigration reform is long past due."


Over the past year, nine states and the District of Columbia have passed laws enabling undocumented immigrants to drive legally. In California, lawmakers and governors have routinely rebuffed such efforts.


Just on Thursday, Assemblyman Luis Alejo, a Democrat from the agricultural town of Salinas, told Reuters that he was withdrawing the bill he had written until next year, largely because of concerns expressed by Brown.


The governor, Alejo said, wanted to make sure the new licenses complied with federal law requiring them to clearly indicate the driver was undocumented.


For example, he said, Utah licenses for people who cannot show they are in the country legally bear the words "temporary visitor's driver license" on the front.


Alejo said he would prefer California's licenses to be more discreet, with small wording on the back indicating that the license was not to be used for identification purposes.


He withdrew the bill, promising to bring it up again next year. But late in the day on Thursday, just hours before the legislature recessed for the year, Alejo accepted amendments that would make the distinction more clear.


After Brown's objections were satisfied, both houses of the state legislature quickly passed the bill, with a number of Republicans joining the Democratic majority to vote for it.


It was approved by votes of 28-8 in the California Senate and 55-19 in the Assembly.


"We need those living here and sharing our roads to be educated and insured," said Republican state Senator Anthony Cannella. "There are both social and financial reasons to provide licenses to immigrants who are part of our communities."


Latino organizations and immigrant rights groups welcomed the measure.
Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, called it "fundamental and way overdue."


Also on Thursday, Cannella led a group calling on Republicans in the U.S. Congress to take action on broader immigration reform.

[CaliPac]

Fo sho.

[grape ape]

In promising to sign the bill allowing illegal immigrants driver’s licenses, California Gov. Brown said he hoped it would ‘send a message to Washington that immigration reform is long past due.’

By Katherine Jacobsen, Contributor / September 13, 2013

Reversing course, California Gov. Jerry Brown said early Friday he would sign a bill into law that allows illegal immigrants to obtain a state driver’s license.

After last-minute changes to Assembly Bill 60 (AB-60), the California Senate and Assembly voted to pass the bill late Thursday night.

“This bill will enable millions of people to get to work safely and legally,” Governor Brown said in a statement issued after midnight following the passage of AB-60. “Hopefully it will send a message to Washington that immigration reform is long past due.”

California has the largest immigrant population in the United States, and a recent study from the University of California’s Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration estimates that about 7 percent of California residents – more than 2.6 million people – are in the country illegally.

Nine states and the District of Columbia currently issue illegal immigrants driver’s licenses. Federal law requires that the licenses clearly indicate that the driver is undocumented.

Under AB-60, the licenses would have the initials DP (driver’s privilege), rather than DL (driver’s license), and would state that the document “does not establish eligibility for employment or public benefit.” California’s Department of Motor Vehicles will determine what type of documentation will be required to obtain a driver’s license.

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Some undocumented residents are already eligible for licenses under California state law, if they qualify for temporary federal work permits.

The original bill as proposed by Assemblyman Luis Alejo (D) of Watsonville would have granted licenses to immigrants who could prove they paid taxes or worked in the United States. However, Mr. Alejo conceded this point late Thursday, reassuring Brown that California would adhere to federal procedures for granting licenses to illegal immigrants and subsequently winning the governor’s backing.

Brown’s support helped propel the bill through the California Legislature.

"In a perfect world we would have no mark on our driver’s license," said California Sen. Ricardo Lara (D) of Bell Gardens as reported in the LA Times. But, he added, “there are hardworking immigrants who need driver’s licenses to do the basic things many of us take for granted.”

A bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to become lawyers also made it through the California legislature on Thursday.

Earlier in the week, Republican Sen. Anthony Cannella, another of the AB-60’s supporters in the California Senate, called on Republicans in Congress to pass broader immigration reform, Reuters reported. A group of 16 California Republican state senators joined a national push to demand a path to citizenship in the United States for illegal immigrants.

A landmark plan for immigration overhaul passed through the US Senate in June, but will face extreme difficulty getting through Congress. The legislation would create a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Upd...gal-immigrants

[SJ]

Originally Posted by tecpaocelotl

"We need those living here and sharing our roads to be educated and insured," said Republican state Senator Anthony Cannella. "There are both social and financial reasons to provide licenses to immigrants who are part of our communities."

They'll be making some pretty good money. Good for california!
minimum wage increase. Bad for california

[xicanachick]

::Thread Merged::

Cool beans.

[xicanachick]

Originally Posted by sweetnspicy79

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