Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Can Undocumented Immigrants Get A Driver's License In Massachusetts. Gov. Massachusetts does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. Otherwise, committees usually kill a bill by voting to hold it. Charlie Baker on the legislation.. According to Yes on 4, 17 other states have enacted similar laws. The bill cleared both branches with more than enough support to override Baker's veto. The House voted 118-36 Thursday to accept the conference committee report on the bill; the Senate vote was 32-8. } The Idaho Capital Sun is the Gem States newest nonprofit news organization delivering accountability journalism on state politics, health care, tax policy, the environment and more. After a 90-minute hearing, Senate Transportation Committee members were clearly divided. This bill is patently unfair to those who have taken the time to immigrate to our great country via legal means and significantly diminishes the public safety of all residents of the Commonwealth. 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. Stream GBH's Award-Winning Content For Parents And Children. Applicants must also attest, under threat of perjury, their license has not been suspended or revoked in any other state, country, or jurisdiction. In order for our states police officers to best do their jobs and remain safe while doing so, they need to be able to identify whos behind the wheel, he added. A report from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, a think tank, states Connecticut saw a 9 percent decrease in hit-and-run crashes in the years after lawmakers there passed the law. 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. I know it is a unique motion. Senate Committee Approves Proposal to Issue Limited Drivers Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants in Idaho. Massachusetts does not require voters to present identification (ID) while voting, in most cases.[27]. Opponents of the bill said, under H 4805, it would be difficult for the Registry of Motor Vehicles to verify foreign documents and that the bill would permit noncitizens to vote. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Under the bill (H 4805) expanded access to standard driver's license would begin on July 1, 2023. The bill now has more co-sponsors than previous versions, as well as strong support from law enforcement agencies and hundreds of health care workers, according to a coalition of labor, business and public health leaders who held a virtual news conference Tuesday. In Massachusetts, the number of signatures required to qualify a veto referendum for the ballot is equal to 1.5 percent of the total votes cast for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election. Massachusetts does not allow same-day voter registration. The Massachusetts State Senate will debate whether undocumented immigrants should be able to get drivers licenses in formal session Thursday morning. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website. This issue has for years been caught in the undertow of. of State Bill Galvin has said this type of regulation would be feasible to implement. margin-bottom: 5px !important; .ballot-measure-endorsements td { width: 35% !important;} 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. 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. .split-cols-bm { In the Senate, the override passed by a 32-8 margin, with 32 Democrats voting to override and five Democrats joining all three Republicans to sustain Bakers veto. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. The Secretary of State's office has. If the Idaho Senate passes the bill, it would be sent to the Idaho House of Representatives for consideration. [10][11],

The campaign has until August 24, 2022, to file signatures. The new restricted licenses would not be accepted to purchase firearms, vote or board commercial airline flights. Undocumented immigrants driver's license law question likely to appear on November ballot A "yes" vote would keep the law in place, allowing undocumented immigrants a pathway to. "But for many immigrants, it serves as a barrier to being able to put food on the table or care for their families.. | 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.". 100% remote. Only about 7 percent of those polled were unsure of how they felt about the law. display: inline; Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Boston. Idaho State Capitol building on January 11, 2023. Voting Yes on 4 is just common sense: all of us will be safer if all drivers on the road pass a driving test, have insurance and have a license, association president and Lawrence Police Chief Roy Vasque said in a statement shared by the Yes campaign. She is from East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and currently lives in the Boston area. However, voters will be asked to show ID in the following circumstances: The following list of accepted ID was current as of November 2022. Acceptable identification must include your name and the address at which you are registered to vote. 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. Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. 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. 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. Governor Baker supports existing laws in Massachusetts, enacted on a bipartisan basis, that ensure Massachusetts compliance with federal REAL ID requirements and enable those who demonstrate lawful presence in the United States to obtain a license, Terry MacCormack, a spokesman for the governor, told MassLive on Tuesday. Voters will weigh in on the question during the general elections on Nov. 8. Charles D. Bakers (R) veto of House Bill 4805 (H 4805). They will not be able to get a REAL ID. licenses to qualified immigrants without legal status, Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, Massachusetts drivers license bill has momentum to pass despite COVID-19, governors opposition, lawmakers say, Lawmakers renew push to expand drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts, Immigration reforms proposed by President Joe Biden stand to benefit over 200,000 Massachusetts residents, families. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. The law directs the registrar of motor vehicles to make regulations regarding the documents required of United States citizens and others who provide proof of lawful presence with their license application. Proponents said that H 4805 would increase road safety, reduce hit-and-run accidents, and help families without the required citizenship or immigration information. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. "The Ed Trust report shines a light on the reforms necessary to provide equity for the more than 427,000 undocumented students seeking a higher education, a pathway to citizenship, and economic mobility. 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 following is the argument in support of Question 4 found in the Official Voter Information Guide:[7], Fair and Secure Massachusetts led the campaign in support of a 'no' vote on Question 4. During Tuesdays hearing, the organization PODER of Idaho presented a petition with 8,000 signatures supporting the bill to create a restricted drivers license. Mass. Charlie Baker to pass a law allowing undocumented immigrants to receive Massachusetts drivers licenses starting next year. The law, which goes into effect next summer, allows . This law does not allow people who cannot provide proof of lawful presence in the United States to obtain a REAL ID. The Senate voted 32-8 Thursday. Ron DeSantis. The 25 new centers are expected to ease the burden on emergency rooms for patients with behavioral health crises. 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. Contact Editor Christina Lords for questions: info@idahocapitalsun.com. First generation college student Stephanie Gonzalez Tena spoke in favor of the restricted drivers license, saying she doesnt want her family to live in fear of driving. .arguments-bm-widget li { Massachusetts Question 4, Remove Proof of Citizenship or Immigration Status for Driver's License Applications Referendum (2022). 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. Federal courts | "This isn't an immigration issue. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. 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. 4805) May 27, 2022" accessed May 27, 2022, Petition drive deadlines and requirements, Changes in 2022 to laws governing the initiative process, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Massachusetts_Question_4,_Remove_Proof_of_Citizenship_or_Immigration_Status_for_Driver%27s_License_Applications_Referendum_(2022)&oldid=9049900, Massachusetts 2022 ballot measures, certified, Veto referendum certified for the 2022 ballot, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections. @media screen and (max-width: 792px) { Too many people in our communities drive in fear every day of being pulled over, detained, then deported. 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