Granting immigration status is the job of the federal government. Ensure that financial reports are prepared according to LIRS, PRM and ORR requirements. RMV To Send More Than 50,000 New Licenses After Printing Error, Even After Investigation, Stoneham Cop Hasn't Paid Dime of Rent to New Landlord, Tracking the Next Hit of Wintry Weather Headed to New England, Due Late Week, Power Lines Crash Onto Cars, Trucks for Blocks in Stoneham; Cause Unknown, Rescuers Capture Bald Eagle Believed to Be Critically Sickened by Rat Poison. This is a well-vetted piece of legislation. All rights reserved. Conservative media is hard to find in Massachusetts. Starting July 1, 2023, anyone in Massachusetts regardless of immigration status can apply for a standard driver's license. Legislative leaders who steered the long-debated bill through the House and Senate said they have some worries about the prospect of a statewide campaign on the topic. Connecticut saw a reduction of hit-and run crashes, and a decline in the number of people found guilty of unlicensed driving, a 2019 investigation by the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting found. And this time they could actually pass. "It basically means, in some respects, the Registry is going to be flying blind with respect to what it issues when it issues these licenses. 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. The Massachusetts State Senate will debate whether undocumented immigrants should be able to get drivers licenses in formal session Thursday morning. The law, signed by Gov. "I have very grave concerns about the impacts this bill will have on public safety and the integrity of our elections," Rep. Steve Xiarhos, a Republican, said Wednesday on social media. The bill still needs to go through a committee for review, but the deadline for that review has now been delayed until March. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Advocates renew push to license illegal immigrants. A second kind of identification could include an unexpired drivers license from any US state or territory, a birth certificate, a valid unexpired foreign national identification card or foreign drivers license, or a marriage certificate issued in Massachusetts. WebLutheran Immigration and Refugee Service is a champion for all uprooted people. A No vote on the question would repeal the law (H.4805) that is scheduled to make illegal immigrants eligible to obtain drivers licenses starting on July 1, 2023. "It is unnecessary because we are just focused on the ability of someone to drive.". Senators voted 32-8 in favor of the controversial 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. He said his amendments were rejected in a rush to move this bill forward. He said one of those addressed the design of the licenses which arent going to look any different from current licenses, and could cause problems with voter registration. Sarah Betancourt is a bilingual reporter for GBH News, and longtime Boston muckraker. "I don't see this the same way the House and the Senate see it," Baker said Monday. Sen. Jim Guthrie (R-McCammon) testifies before the Senate Transportation Committee regarding his bill to make a restricted driver's license available to all Idaho residents regardless of immigration status. Some Massachusetts residents want drivers licenses for illegal immigrants. "Certainly, if it's part of our ballot initiative process, that is a concern. Contrary to prevailing opinions and fears, undocumented immigrants do have banking rights within the United States and can open bank accounts. Charlie Baker's veto of an immigrant driver's license access bill marched around the State House in Boston on Thursday, June 2, 2022. The bill, however, didnt gain Senate Appropriations Committee approval, which was needed because of the BMVs estimated $1.4 million cost to develop the new license. February 16, 2022 20 BOSTON (AP) The Massachusetts House approved a bill Wednesday that would let immigrants in the country illegally obtain state However, states regulate who may receive a drivers license or identification card. 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. (Thomas Kurmeier via Getty Images), "We are a nation of immigrants. The Massachusetts House passed legislation Wednesday that opens a pathway for some undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses in the state, a In a 120 to 36 vote, the Room 8055, 5th floor. We always have," Baker told the crowd at a New England Council event. New to NewBostonPost? Zip code: 510375
Senate Democrats are They'd have until Aug. 24 to submit signatures to local election officials for certification and then Sept. 7 to submit them to Secretary of State William Galvin's office. Charlie Baker, who has opposed similar legislation in the past. We couldn't do it without you. We couldn't do it without you. Under the new law, someone in the country illegally would have to provide a passport or consular identification document to apply for a driver's license. |News
Receive the latest news and breaking updates, straight from our newsroom to your inbox. In Massachusetts, we pride ourselves in being a leader on so many important national issues, but with respect to this policy before you today, we have fallen behind, Crighton said. 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), 2 victims of fatal Salem head-on crash identified, 79 years later, soldier killed in WWII to be buried in Maine, Police identify woman found dead in Merrimack River. Road safety and immigration reform advocates spent years unsuccessfully pressing lawmakers to act, arguing that expanding license access would ensure undocumented immigrants who already live in Massachusetts are properly tested before getting on the road and rein in their fears of law enforcement entanglement. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The bill is now backed by the Massachusetts Major City Chiefs of Police and most Massachusetts sheriffs and district attorneys. ", "We are once again overcome with happiness, pride and gratitude for today's historic vote in the Massachusetts Senate," 32BJ SEIU Vice President Roxana Rivera and Brazilian Worker Center Executive Director Lenita Reason, who together lead the coalition, said in a joint statement. To apply for a standard license under the new bill, an undocumented immigrant would need to show the RMV a foreign passport or a consular identification document, as well as a drivers license from another state, a foreign drivers license, a birth certificate, a foreign national ID card, or a marriage certificate from any U.S. territory. Follow us so you don't miss a thing! Kathy Lynch, a Republican state committee member from Westford, said she worries that the bill could result in fraud. On Wednesday, State House Speaker Ron Mariano said the legislation will "increase safety on our roads by ensuring that everyone has access to a drivers license, regardless of immigration status.". Proponents of the bill have touted it as beneficial for road safety, the news service reported, asserting that the approximately 185,000 undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts would be tested before driving. Our lives are safer when every single driver has to pass a road test, a vision test, and obtain insurance.. The original version of the bill was introduced almost 20 years ago, and multiple iterations have cropped up and failed, including one from then-state Rep. Marty Walsh in 2007, who is now the U.S. Secretary of Labor. With your support, GBH will continue to innovate, inspire and connect through reporting you value that meets todays moments. 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). Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, as they have for months at this point, said their respective branches continue to deliberate in private about still-in-development tax packages without offering many details beyond a broad promise that the bills would aim to help vulnerable populations. Senate Democrats are also hoping for a two-thirds majority vote. and last updated 9:36 AM, Nov 09, 2022. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Report on 2014 legislation shows most domestic workers don't get basic rights and employers aren't trying to comply. Massachusetts is on its way to joining 16 other states that grant drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "I'm not throwing stones, (but) I filed legislation three years ago, before the pandemic, to significantly shift investments in primary care, addiction services, behavioral health and gerontology because we underfund those things. Speakers pepped up the crowd and recounted the license policy's long road toward becoming law, with one legislator recalling that it was a young Rep. Marty Walsh who first filed the bill many years ago. The bill, however, didnt gain Senate Appropriations Committee approval, which was needed because of the BMVs estimated $1.4 million cost to develop the new license. If opponents of the new law pursue that action -- and are successful at gathering signatures -- the timing could line up almost perfectly to put the question before voters at the Nov. 8 election. The measure is about being safe on the road, according to Elizabeth Sweet, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. Legislatures considering extending driver’s licenses to unauthorized immigrants debate such potential To put the question of whether the law should be repealed on the November ballot, petitioners will need to collect at least 40,120 signatures from registered voters, no more than 10,030 of which can come from a single county, in less than three months. A bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for drivers' licenses has passed the Massachusetts Senate. The vote was 32 to 8, with five Democrats voting with the chambers Republicans against the bill, State House News Service (SHNS) reported. She was a reporter for CommonWealth Magazine, and senior immigration reporter for Law360. By making all immigrants eligible for a driver's license, we make it possible for all drivers to drive in a safe, secure manner, she said. Advocates and lawmakers are holding a ceremonial bill signing to mark the new law on Monday afternoon which will be going into effect without the signature of Gov. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. Baker on Monday said his administration would "start the process of implementing it pretty much immediately.". Over the course of Thursday's debate, senators beat back attempts by Republicans and a handful of Democrats to distinguish the licenses that could be awarded to undocumented immigrants, either by offering them entirely separate "driver privilege cards" or by requiring a standard Massachusetts license issued to an immigrant without legal status to be printed in a different color or declare that it is not eligible as a form of identification. 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