driver's license for undocumented immigrants in massachusetts 2022

Under the Massachusetts bill, known as the Work and Family Mobility Act, driver's licenses would be available to undocumented immigrants if they are able to provide documentation like a. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. This bill would enable all qualified state residents to apply for a standard state driver's license, regardless of immigrant status, while keeping our Commonwealth in full compliance with REAL ID requirements. [2], Yes on 4 led the campaign in support of a 'yes' vote on Question 4. The vote margin was 66% to repeal the law, and 34% to uphold the law. Apply today! 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. -moz-columns: 2; During Tuesday's hearing, the organization PODER of Idaho presented a petition with 8,000 signatures supporting the bill to create a restricted driver's license. Only about 7 percent of those polled were unsure of how they felt about the law. The new law, if not rejected by voters, will allow undocumented immigrants to apply for a standard state drivers license beginning July 1, 2023. The Senate voted 32 to 8 in favor of the measure. In Massachusetts, undocumented immigrants are eligible to apply for a driver's license. Farm owners, he said, have long relied on the worst of Band-Aid solutions off-the-record agreements with local police chiefs to help prevent their workers from being pulled over. 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. Earlier this year, Secretary of State William Galvin, the states top election official, rebuked Bakers argument though, telling MassLive what the governor is saying makes absolutely no sense at all., Weve definitely spoken with the Registry of Motor Vehicles, and we can solve any concern there is about this, Galvin said of the automatic voter registration law. Everyone should have the right to access a drivers license regardless of documentation status., PODER of Idaho gathers 8,000 signatures for a petition in support of license bill. emphasis on political coverage within a state; and, Signature requirement: 1.5 percent of the gubernatorial vote for a referendum or 2 percent of the gubernatorial vote to also suspend the law, Allows for veto referendums on emergency legislation, Successful veto referendum petitions may or may not suspend the targeted law until the election depending on the number of valid signatures submitted. Providing licenses to qualified applicants, regardless of immigration status would ensure more drivers are tested, that they know the rules of the road and comply with mandatory insurance laws, while also serving as a step toward racial equity, Fitzpatrick added. Question 4 on Massachusetts' 2022 general election ballots asks voters if the state should keep or repeal its new law allowing undocumented immigrants to get driver's licenses beginning next year . margin-bottom: 10px; At the time of the override vote, Democrats held such a majority. This has nothing to do with immigration. } Elizabeth Sweet, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition, said, "The Work and Family Mobility Act makes our communities safer, builds trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities, and benefits our economy. 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 secretary of state wrote the ballot language for this measure. 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. Sec. 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. Ron DeSantis. State legislature | width: 100%; A long-debated proposal to expand driver's license access to undocumented immigrants took a major step Thursday toward becoming law, clearing the Massachusetts Senate with a strong enough margin to overcome the prospect of Gov. 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. The act became a law in June after the House and Senate both voted to override Gov. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston. Speaking in support, the bill's sponsor, Sen. Adam Gomez (D), said: 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 breathe and have a sigh of relief.[15][6]. 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. A bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for drivers' licenses has passed the Massachusetts Senate. Senators voted 32-8 in favor of the controversial reform, which has drawn . Gambling Senate overrides Baker veto: Undocumented immigrants will be able to get driver's licenses," June 9, 2022, "Office of the Governor", "Message from His Excellency the Governor returning with his objections thereto in writing the engrossed Bill relative to work and family mobility (see House, No. In this section, Ballotpedia does not include opinion pieces written by individuals or groups that do not represent the official position of a newspaper or media outlet. I think the RMV [Registry of Motor Vehicles] is not equipped to properly vet people coming to the United States from over 100 different countries."[4]. Read Idaho Gov. They cant even suspend licenses from people when theyre supposed to, he said. Applicants must also attest, under threat of perjury, their license has not been suspended or revoked in any other state, country, or jurisdiction. A bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for drivers' licenses has passed the Massachusetts Senate. 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. -webkit-columns: 2; 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.. It prohibits the Registry of Motor Vehicles from asking about or keeping documents related to immigration status. .ballot-measure-endorsements ul { too many, The following were the top donors who contributed to the opposition committees.Cite error: Invalid tag; invalid names, e.g. .sbtotalheader { 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. 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. 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. The Secretary of State's officehas certified the number of signaturesneeded to put the repeal efforton the ballot. They will not be able to get a REAL ID. The state recently passed a law allowing undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license despite a veto from Gov. If the law is not overturned by voters, it will go into effect next July. All rights reserved, Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter, MA Senate GOP Leader Will Press For Driver Privilege Cards' for Immigrants, Mass. a summary of the law from the Secretary of States office, filed paperwork to start the ballot question process, the states Elections Division certified 71,883 signatures collected, 47 percent of residents surveyed were opposed to the legislation, a debate on the ballot question on GBHs Greater Boston, Connecticut saw a 9 percent decrease in hit-and-run crashes, several mayors testified on Beacon Hill in support of the law, the statistic is part of a national trend, Another fight is brewing over the undocumented immigrant drivers license law, Here's where the MassGOP stands after Tuesday's election, South Coast Rail: New Bedford, Fall River vote to join the MBTA, A valid unexpired foreign passport or a valid unexpired Consular Identification document. 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.". To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here. Between 1919 and 2021, Massachusetts voters decided on 21 veto referendums11 laws were upheld and 10 were repealed. We have an urgent need for labor in this state. !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

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