| THE DRIVER'S-LICENSE ISSUE REVISITED |
| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Tuesday, June 22 2004 |
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| Here we go again. A new proposal to grant driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants is back on the legislative agenda in California. That means we can expect a new heated debate on one of the most divisive issues in the state. But wait -- before you start gearing up for an all-out assault on the proposal, you need to know what the new-and-improved version of the bill has to offer.
After being rejected, vetoed, criticized and reversed, the driver's-license initiative is back, with a new twist. Proponents of the measure wanted to prevent another failure, so this time around they took six months to go around the state to find out what it would take to please all sides: the governor, the legislature, the voters and the immigrant community.
Of course, it's impossible to please everyone, so they put together a bill with a little something for all. The first one on the list is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was, after all, he who won the special election last year promising to have SB60 -- the 's-license bill that then-Gov. Gray Davis had just signed into law -- repealed. He made good on his promise almost immediately after taking the oath.
But Schwarzenegger promised Sen. Gil Cedillo, the author of the bill, that in the future he would consider supporting a new initiative that includes security assurances.
The new bill, designated SB1160, has just what the governor asked for: background checks with fingerprints; only those from eligible countries need apply -- excluded are those nations designated by the United States as a state sponsor of terrorism; anyone with a criminal record -- except for infractions related to driving without a license -- would be rejected.
It turns out, it's not that California voters are so opposed to undocumented immigrants having access to driver's licenses, it's that many are just angry at the failure of a broken immigration system altogether. While there are those who would like to see all undocumented immigrants out of here, many recognize the hard work of immigrants and their strong family values.
California voters want those immigrants not here legally to be put to a higher standard if they want to drive in their state. So, with SB1160, not only would they have to submit to background checks and fingerprinting, they would have to pay for it all. While Californians pay $22 for a driver's license, nonlegal residents would have to come up with $146. That includes a fee to fund citizenship classes.
This leads me to another of the new conditions: a written commitment to begin the process of becoming a legal resident. The applicant must also have the support of an American citizen who's willing to sponsor him or her. And anyone who is concerned that the license applicant might abuse certain privileges reserved for citizens and legal residents need not fear: Undocumented license-holders would not be able to serve on a jury, would be forbidden from buying firearms and would be advised that they don't have the right to vote.
What's in it for the immigrants? An opportunity to drive without fear of persecution, to transport themselves to work, to learn the rules of the road and to get car insurance. All California residents benefit from having safer highways and controlling insurance premiums. The state also benefits from knowing who its residents are and where they live, regardless of their immigration status. Immigrant advocates will surely complain about the higher fee for the license, but while in a perfect world it should be equal fee for equal right, the increased fee is a fair compromise.
SB1160 has an urgency clause attached to it, which means it would have to be approved by two-thirds of the legislature. Even though both the California State Assembly and Senate have a Democratic majority that supports the initiative, it's not enough to have it passed. So, may the negotiations begin. Gov. Schwarzenegger, who has been quoted as saying he is "absolutely positive we'll come up with a great bill" to replace SB60, is in a unique position to address the issues in the bill that concern him and prove that he is a man of his word. |
