GBH News brings you the stories, local voices, and big ideas that shape our world. A similar bill has already passed in that House with a veto-proof majority. "The Registry of Motor Vehicles, who are going to be in charge of this, has no authority under any federal constitution or federal law to grant legitimacy to people who are otherwise in the country illegally," McMahon said. [16] In his veto message, Baker said: A standard Massachusetts drivers license will no longer confirm that a person is who they say they are [and the bill] restricts the Registrys ability to share citizenship information with those entities responsible for ensuring that only citizens register for and vote in our elections.[17][6]. A "yes" would uphold the current law to allow immigrants to obtain licenses, while a "no" vote would reject the new law. For that reason, some law enforcement leaders have backed the measure, including the Massachusetts Major Cities Chiefs of Police Association. If the new bill passes, people who apply for a standard driver's license will need to provide proof of identity, date of birth and state residency, according to the bill. Massachusetts has implemented an online voter registration system. Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Boston. Question 4 asks voters whether to uphold a new law that allows immigrants without legal status to apply for a Massachusetts driver's license. Massachusetts Question 4, Remove Proof of Citizenship or Immigration Status for Driver's License Applications Referendum (2022). Firearms The committee reported over $217,135 in contributions. [19], As of September 2022, 17 states and Washington, D.C. had enacted laws authorizing the issuance of driver's licenses to immigrants who cannot provide proof of lawful or authorized presence. Do we want to support individuals who are new to our community and their ability to grow and prosper the way any of us who were born here have that opportunity? To obtain a restricted license, drivers would have to live in Idaho, be of legal driving age, pass a driving skills and written test and prove their identity with a passport, birth certificate, consular ID card or another form of identification issued by a foreign government or Native American tribe. .split-cols-bm { The vote margin was 66% to repeal the law, and 34% to uphold the law. Question 4 would allow undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts to obtain a drivers license or learners permit if they meet all necessary requirements such as a road test, proof of identity and residency. Nineteen states have laws in place that allow undocumented immigrants to obtain a drivers' license, including Nevada, Utah, Oregon and Washington. How to vote | BURRELL: Statewide, police in New York used to arrest about 57,000 people a year for unlicensed driving. His reporting in Idaho has helped uncover a multimillion-dollar investment scam and exposed inaccurate data that school districts submitted to the state. She is from East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and currently lives in the Boston area. } The bill was then. She also argued that blocking the undocumented from obtaining licenses represents a forced lack of engagement that further cements inequality in our society.. Sec. BOSTON (AP) Massachusetts voters will get the chance to decide whether the state should reject a new law allowing immigrants in the country illegally to obtain state driver's licenses. While advocates continually push for accessible, affordable public transit across the board, we know this just isnt true everywhere or for everyone, creating gaps that require many undocumented immigrants to get on the roads for work or to help their families, she said. 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. You are voting for the first time in Massachusetts in a federal election; You are casting a provisional or challenged ballot; The poll worker has a reasonable suspicion that leads them to request identification. The secretary of the commonwealth's office announced late Friday that it had certified the signatures needed to put repeal of the law on the November ballot. This isnt an immigration issue. 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. Beginning in April 2021, undocumented immigrants in New Jersey will be able to obtain driver's licenses. Chelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes, president of the Major City Chiefs of Police Association, said last year that the bill would promote trust between law enforcement and all the communities we serve and protect, according to GBH. 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 . "Allowing parents to drive their kids to school, take them to doctor's appointments or be in charge of carpooling to take their kids to soccer, all without the concern they may be separated if they are pulled over, will allow children of undocumented immigrants to breath and have a sigh of relief," bill supporters Sen. Adam Gomez, a Springfield Democrat, said earlier this month. Brad Little's 2023 State of the State, Republicans sweep statewide, federal offices in Idahos, Whos who in the GOP race to be Idahos next secretary of. A bill to allow undocumented immigrants to get driver's licenses in Massachusetts is all but law Thursday, passing the Senate with a large enough margin to overrule a veto from Gov.. battersea power station webcam; maine real estate transfer tax exemptions and last updated 9:36 AM, Nov 09, 2022. Applicants under the bill would need to provide proof of their identity, date of birth and residency in Massachusetts. .split-cols-bm { State lawmakers then overrode Bakers veto in June. Idaho State Capitol building on January 11, 2023. Stream GBH's Award-Winning Content For Parents And Children. the state House of Representatives voted to pass the bill in February. of State Bill Galvin has said this type of regulation would be feasible to implement. (WWLP) - Question 4 asks voters whether they want to uphold or overturn a new state law expanding eligibility for driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants.. Aug 22, 2022 Category : Government . The Idaho Legislature's Senate Transportation Committee voted Tuesday to advance a bill that would create a restricted driver's license available to all people 16 and older residing in Idaho . 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. The Massachusetts State Senate on Thursday voted in favor of a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to get driver's licenses. Alexi Cohan is a producer on Greater Boston. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Im talking about the fear of being deported for taking a sick relative to the hospital or the fear of being deported for taking children to school. The law provides that, when processing an application for such a license or learners permit or motor vehicle registration, the registrar of motor vehicles may not ask about or create a record of the citizenship or immigration status of the applicant, except as otherwise required by law. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. 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. The law, which goes into effect next summer, allows . A bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for drivers' licenses has passed the Massachusetts Senate. Shortly after lawmakers overrode the governors veto, a state Republican Party committee member with backing from GOP gubernatorial candidate Geoff Diehl and the state party Chairman Jim Lyons filed paperwork to start the ballot question process to repeal the law. width: 100%; "This makes our roads safer by requiring that everybody follow the same set of rules," Crighton said. Tobacco, What's on my ballot? 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.". COVID strikes, the national food supply chain is rattled, and we momentarily wake up in our state and declare farm workers are sometimes essential when we need the fruits of their labor, Philip Korman, executive director of the nonprofit Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, said Tuesday. Ron DeSantis. 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. The documents required to obtain a driver's license vary by state but range from a foreign birth certificate, foreign passport, or consular card, and evidence of current residency in the state. Ballotpedia lists the positions of and excerpts from editorials supporting or opposing ballot measures from the editorial boards of certain media outlets. Guthrie has worked on the issue for several years and said the focal point of the bill is providing an opportunity for people to obtain a drivers license regardless of their immigration status. [12] H 4805 prohibited registrars from inquiring about an applicants citizenship or immigration status when applying for driver's licenses and motor vehicle registrations. In what was a marathon session, the Minnesota Senate approved the Driver's Licenses for All act at 2 a.m. Feb. 22. The ballot measure was approved, thus upholding the legislation. Baker vetoed H 4805 on May 27, 2022. BOSTON - The Massachusetts Senate on Thursday joined the House in voting to override Gov. [3] [4] Estimates in 2016 put the number of unauthorized immigrants at 10.7 million, representing 3.3% of the total U.S. population. I think the answer to that is yes.. 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. In the GBH debate, the Republican nominee for attorney general, Jay McMahon, who is also a Fair and Secure Massachusetts committee member, said license applicants in Massachusetts are automatically registered to vote when their applications are processed, unless they check a box to opt out of becoming an enrolled voter. The bill cleared both branches with more than enough support to override Baker's veto. Voters in Massachusetts may be asked whether to repeal state law granting standard Massachusetts driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants in November. } PODER of Idaho is an organization that works to empower the Latinx and immigrant communities in the areas of immigrant rights, economic justice, education and social justice. Driving is not a luxury, Roman said. It's about making our roads safer, making sure that everybody has to pass a road test and vision test and get insurance and to get a license in the Commonwealth.". They cant even suspend licenses from people when theyre supposed to, he said. Two years after lawmakers passed the Green Light law, arrests plummeted to about 30,000.. In this, I think we might need the wisdom of the whole body as we debate and deliberate this.. Why it matters: Massachusetts is home to more than 200,000 immigrants without legal status, according to the Migration Policy Institute. After a 90-minute hearing, Senate Transportation Committee members were clearly divided.

   .sbtotaltable { The new law will allow undocumented immigrants to apply for a standard state driver's license beginning July 1, 2023. He noted that law enforcement officials have endorsed the ballot question for this reason. It's high time that we let undocumented immigrants live without fear and start honoring their many contributions.  Only about 7 percent of those polled were unsure of how they felt about the law. Applicants must also attest, under threat of perjury, their license has not been suspended or revoked in any other state, country, or jurisdiction.  | !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 tag; invalid names, e.g. It also bars officials at the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles from asking about, or creating a record of, an applicants citizenship or immigration status, and enables those without proof of lawful presence, including residents ineligible for social security numbers, to be eligible for a license if they meet all other qualifications for licensure and provide satisfactory proof to the registrar of identity, date of birth and Massachusetts residency.. Business regulation This has nothing to do with immigration. V oters will decide on four ballot questions in the 2022 Massachusetts elections on Nov. 8. This breaking news story will be updated. States issuing driver's licenses to immigrants who cannot provide proof of lawful presence. For 2022, there was a total of 21,658 calls for service, compared to 21,593 for 2021. "UndocuGrads: Navigating Graduate School as an Undocumented Student" 2019 Public Policy and International Affairs Program: Open to Undocumented Students; 2018-2019 Peer Engagement and Enrichment Program (PEEP) for Undocumented Students The governors office noted in the summer of 2016 that state lawmakers ultimately adopted legislation that included Bakers bipartisan amendment to make explicit that both a REAL ID-compliant license and a Massachusetts license will only be issued to individuals with proof of lawful presence, ensuring undocumented immigrants do not obtain either type of license under the new system.. American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. The bill required the second document to be a valid unexpired drivers license from any U.S. state or territory, an original or certified copy of a birth certificate, a valid unexpired foreign national identification card, a valid unexpired foreign drivers license, or a marriage certificate or divorce decree issued by any state or territory of the United States. The new law will extend driving privileges to an estimated 45,000-85,000 people over the next three years, according to MassBudget. .ballot-measure-endorsements td { width: 35% !important;} 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. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible. 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