Ron DeSantis. Lawmakers backing the move say it. The push to expand access to driver's licenses to qualified immigrants without legal status continues to gain momentum as public health professionals, business leaders, advocates and. Ballot measures, Who represents me? Massachusetts voterswill decide this November whether to overturna new lawthat makes undocumented immigrantseligible for driver's licenses. Republican grassroots organizers said last . font-weight:bold; But Jim Lyons, chair of the state Republican Party, argues driving is a privilege, not a right. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. Photo: Steph Solis/Axios. But Trackels motion failed on a tie vote. margin-top: 10px !important; The ballot measure was approved, thus upholding the legislation. His reporting in Idaho has helped uncover a multimillion-dollar investment scam and exposed inaccurate data that school districts submitted to the state. Applicants must also attest, under threat of perjury, their license has not been suspended or revoked in any other state, country, or jurisdiction. We have an urgent need for labor in this state. House lawmakers passed the measure on a 120-36 vote. }, .arguments-bm-widget { During Tuesdays hearing, the organization PODER of Idaho presented a petition with 8,000 signatures supporting the bill to create a restricted drivers license. The law would require the registrar and Secretary of State to establish regulations ensuring undocumented immigrants who get a drivers license will not be automatically registered to vote. too many, The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committees in opposition to the measure.Cite error: Invalid tag; invalid names, e.g. BOSTON (CBS) - The Senate passed a bill that would give immigrants without legal status a pathway to obtain a Massachusetts driver's license. In the debate, Crighton refuted McMahon by pointing to the fact that to register to vote, applicants must also prove their citizenship and that the RMV has already granted licenses to green card holders, foreign visa holders, and DACA recipients, among others, without enrolling them as voters. Who was behind the campaigns in favor of a 'yes' or 'no' vote? Click "Show" to learn more about voter registration, identification requirements, and poll times in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts House passed legislation Wednesday that opens a pathway for some undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses in the state, a move advocates say would make roads safer for all motorists and opponents argue rewards people for entering the country illegally. Massachusetts Gov. The overwhelming majority of bills that advance out of Idaho legislative committees are sent to the floor with recommendations the bills pass. -moz-columns: 2; In 2022, Rhode Island became the most recent state to enact legislation extending driver's licenses and identification cards to those without proof of lawful presence (SB 2006/HB 7939). Shearer repeated the department's mission statement and goals before launching into the numbers for 2022. "The rule of law matters," Lyons said. Charles D. Baker (R), Gubernatorial Candidate Geoff Diehl (R), and State Representatives Colleen Garry (D) and Marc Lombardo (R). Charlie Bakers veto. Get all the latest from Sanditon on GBH Passport, How one Brookline studio helps artists with disabilities thrive. Opponents of a new law allowing undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts to receive driver's licenses say they have collected enough signatures to put their repeal question onto November's ballot. Ballotpedia features 395,437 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. U.S. President | The vote margin was 66% to repeal the law, and 34% to uphold the law. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. But this bill should be signed His (Bakers) concerns are baseless. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r .sbtotaltable { Heres everything to know about the debate around Question 4: After years of lobbying, advocacy and tweaks, proponents of the law scored a victory earlier this year when the state House of Representatives voted to pass the bill in February. See20 CFR 655.120(b)(4). [10][11],

display: inline; The documents required to obtain a driver's license vary by state . ICE is using facial recognition software to target undocumented immigrants in Maryland by conducting unauthorized searches of state-issued driver's licenses. According to Yes on 4, 17 other states have enacted similar laws. Following years of advocacy for the bill, House and Senate Democrats on Thursday enacted the legislation, which supporters say will make the roads safer by granting access to licenses for many undocumented immigrants who are already living throughout the state. Other members of the Idaho Sheriffs Association also spoke in opposition to restricted drivers licenses. Massachusetts Question 4, the Remove Proof of Citizenship or Immigration Status for Driver's License Applications Referendum, was on the ballot in Massachusetts as a veto referendum on November 8, 2022. H 4805 repealed the provision of state law that says, "No license of any type may be issued to any person who does not have lawful presence in the United States. McMahon also argued fatal crashes have risen in states that have passed similar legislation. "This makes our roads safer by requiring that everybody follow the same set of rules," Crighton said. Tradues em contexto de "about undocumented immigrants" en ingls-portugus da Reverso Context : I encourage all media organizations to stop using the word "illegal" when talking about undocumented immigrants, because there's nothing illegal about being human. .sbtotaltable td { State laws permitting this are on the books in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Mexico, Nevada, Massachusetts New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Utah, Vermont . This breaking news story will be updated. If the petitioners submit a written request for the suspension of the targeted law prior to the referendum election, signatures equal to 2 percent of the total votes last cast for governor are required to both suspend the law and force an election. Business regulation Charlie Baker on Friday vetoed a bill making immigrants without legal status eligible to seek state-issued driver's licenses, saying the Registry of Motor Vehicles, an agency that he oversees, doesn't have the ability to verify the identities of potential applicants. The committee collected over 100,000 signatures to place the veto referendum on the ballot. The state Senate picked up the bill, too, before Baker vetoed it in May. They will not be able to get a REAL ID. width: 50%; Navigating Research with Undocumented Immigrants as an Undocumented Immigrant; Announcement of New Series! On June 27, 2022, the referendum was cleared for signature gathering. It received endorsements from Gov. 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. Click here for the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information. Roman, and Dr. Beth Eagleson of Baystate Health in Springfield, said current fears of getting pulled over, arrested or discriminated against leads to public health and educational hurdles, as some workers avoid or delay doctors appointments, COVID-19 testing, getting vaccinated or attending parent-teacher conferences. Here is what you need to know about Question 4, regarding eligibility for driver's licenses. When I talk about that fear, I am not talking about the fear of running off the road when it is snowing outside or the fear of hydroplaning during a thunderstorm, Gonzalez Tena told legislators. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is poised to sign a pair of bills that recently passed the state Senate which restore the voting rights of convicted felons immediately upon release and grant the ability for illegal immigrants to obtain a driver's license. to the Senate floor without a recommendation attached to it. } The committee reported over $217,135 in contributions. Massachusetts requires a two-thirds majority in the General Court to override a veto. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. It doesnt make any sense to have drivers not having access to a drivers license, she said. Sec. Why it matters: Massachusetts is home to more than 200,000 immigrants without legal status, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-McCammon, sponsored Senate Bill 1081, which would create the new restricted drivers license anyone 16 or older who resides in Idaho could obtain, regardless of whether they have a Social Security number. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Immigrants can get a license in the United States in most states, but it depends on the state they live in and their immigration status. McMahon also noted issues with the Registry of Motor Vehicles and its capacity to vet foreign documents. Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com. State legislature | These people are mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters who are here to be an active part of the American dream, and they arent going anywhere.. voters may get to decide whether to overturn undocumented immigrant driver's license law Create a . The bill calls for striking language in state law that blocks residents who do not have lawful presence in the United States from obtaining a license of any type in Massachusetts. The Secretary of State's officehas certified the number of signaturesneeded to put the repeal efforton the ballot. .split-cols-bm { With your support, GBH will continue to innovate, inspire and connect through reporting you value that meets todays moments. CHICOPEE, Mass. It looks like a bid to repeal a Massachusetts law allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses will make it on to the November ballot. The full text of House Bill 4805, which the veto referendum would have overturned, is below:[1]. Follow Boston.com on Instagram (Opens in a New Tab), Follow Boston.com on Twitter (Opens in a New Tab), Like Boston.com on Facebook (Opens in a New Tab), GOP-backed initiative to bring the matter to voters. The bill cleared both branches with more than enough support to override Baker's veto. Visually, the restricted drivers licenses would be oriented vertically, instead of horizontally, Guthrie said. As of July 1 2022, 18 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico issue driver's licenses or permits to some or all of the population residing without inspection in the United States. Massachusetts does not require voters to present identification (ID) while voting, in most cases.[27]. Standing alongside her is Roxana Rivera, vice president of 32BJ SEIU, who led the push for the law with Reason. John Milligan, of Fair and Secure Massachusetts, expands on this in his argument explaining the No vote published by the Secretary of States office: In his veto message of this bill, Governor Charlie Baker made it known that the Registry of Motor Vehicles does not have the capability or expertise necessary to verify documents from other countries and notes that, if this bill becomes law, Massachusetts drivers licenses will no longer confirm that a person is who they say they are.Additionally, Governor Baker states the bill specifically restricts the Registrys ability to share citizenship information with entities responsible for ensuring only citizens register to vote and vote in our elections, significantly increasing the likelihood that noncitizens will register to vote. } New: With 32 votes in the affirmative to eight in the negative, @MA_Senate passes a bill allowing undocumented Immigrants to get drivers licenses @NBC10Boston pic.twitter.com/A02E6xmqXK. Massachusetts Gov. margin-bottom: 10px; Senators have described the differences in the House and Senate versions as technical in nature and have said they will make sure they have sufficient votes for an override as well. "Ensuring all Massachusetts drivers meet the necessary identification, registration and testing requirements for driving just simply makes the roads safer,"Sekhavat said. Can Undocumented Immigrants Get A Driver's License In Massachusetts. The documents required to obtain a driver's license varied by state but included a foreign birth certificate, foreign passport, or consular card along with evidence of current residency in the state. Maureen Maloney, one of the sponsors of the veto referendum, said, "I do not think that we should be rewarding people for being in the country illegally. Massachusetts Ballot Question 4 seeks to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver's license while also setting up regulations to ensure they are not automatically registered to vote. Jay McMahon, of Fair and Secure Massachusetts, and Sen. Brendan Crighton, of Safer Roads Massachusetts, debated the measure on Greater Boston. The push to expand access to drivers licenses to qualified immigrants without legal status continues to gain momentum as public health professionals, business leaders, advocates and lawmakers this session hope to make Massachusetts the 17th state with such a law in the books after years of debate. However, municipalities may open their polls as early as 5:45 a.m. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote. Charlie Baker's veto of a bill that would allow immigrants in the country illegally to obtain state. No more than one-quarter of the certified signatures on initiative or referendum petitions may come from any one county. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. Navigating Research with Undocumented Immigrants as an Undocumented Immigrant; Announcement of New Series! The Senate voted 32 to 8 in favor of the measure. A total of $3,350.00 was spent to collect the 40,120 valid signatures required to put this measure before voters, resulting in a total cost per required signature (CPRS) of $0.08. Only about 7 percent of those polled were unsure of how they felt about the law. It will be up to the House to initiate a veto override, with a two thirds vote required in each branch to make the bill law. Several police chiefs, sheriffs and Attorney General Maura Healey support the proposal. Any documents not in English must be accompanied by a certified translation. The law also requires the registrar and the Secretary of the Commonwealth to establish procedures and regulations to ensure that an applicant for a standard drivers license or learners permit who does not provide proof of lawful presence will not be automatically registered to vote, the Secretary of States office says. McMahon cast doubt on the RMVs ability to handle differentiating between citizens and non-citizens. Cities | The restricted license would cost $50 and be valid for two years. In both Massachusetts and Rhode Island, applicants for driver's licenses will be required to provide proof of identity as well as proof of residency through documents like an unexpired foreign passport or an original birth certificate. The Massachusetts general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 8. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun). If a petition seeks to suspend the targeted law and reaches the 2 percent threshold, the targeted law is suspended until the next general election, at which voters decide whether to approve the bill or reject it. font-size:1.0em; The governor said the bill "restricts the Registry's ability to share citizenship information with those entities responsible for ensuring that only citizens register for and vote in our elections.". Constitutional rights Charlie Baker has expressed his opposition to the measure, which would allow Massachusetts residents without legal immigration status to apply for a standard state driver's license, provided they show certain documents proving their identity. | Thank you! Between 1919 and 2021, Massachusetts voters decided on 21 veto referendums11 laws were upheld and 10 were repealed. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. It also authorized registrars to accept certain documents to verify the identity and date of birth of an applicant. 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