Virginia to require proof of citizenship for driver’s license.

The Virginian-Pilot ^ | October 27, 2003 | KATRICE HARDY

[R. Scott]

Starting Jan. 1, many residents will have to prove their citizenship or legal right to be in Virginia before they are granted any DMV documents. The changes will affect anyone applying for an ID card or license for the first time and those who are renewing expired, suspended or revoked licenses.
Residents who renew their licenses before the expiration date won't be affected. And anyone who has received a photo ID card and already has established their permanent right to be here won't have to meet the guidelines for future applications.
The law is the state's response to a startling reality of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks: Seven of the terrorists held Virginia driver's licenses.
The changes will cost the DMV about $1 million to implement and are an attempt to address the fact that driver's licenses are gateways into society. They are used widely to prove identity and allow people to open bank accounts and cash checks.
Currently, applicants for ID cards or driver's licenses must bring at least two forms of identification and proof of residency. The required IDs are typically government-issued documents, such as a birth certificate or passport. Proof of residency could be a utility bill. After Jan. 1, those bills and other easily obtainable documents might not be accepted any longer as proof of residency.
The agency is working on a list of documents that applicants can use to prove their citizenship or ``legal presence.'' DMV officials say that by Dec. 1 they will release a full list of acceptable documents. To make the changes as painless as possible for residents, the state has hired 26 new employees and approved overtime for part-time workers in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia, the DMV's busiest areas. Brochures have been printed in English and Spanish. Soon, anyone who calls the DMV will be given an opportunity to listen to a recording. Tellers at DMV offices also will distribute information.
…
Under the new guidelines, an immigrant or refugee who has authority to live temporarily in America will receive a driver's license or ID card with an expiration date linked to their length of stay. If an applicant is authorized to remain in the country indefinitely, his or her ID or license will be valid for one year. The DMV currently issues mostly five-year driver's licenses and ID cards.
The department will flag records so staffers won't renew the ID cards or licenses of people who they learn have had their legal stays terminated.
...

[R. Scott]

To heck with California!

[MEG33]

Progress!The rule of common sense!

[mewzilla]

To heck with California!

And MA.

Sigh.

[ModelBreaker]

Progress!The rule of common sense!

Yes. But how long has it been since 911? And they only got around to this now?

[freeangel]

Three cheers for sanity. How long before the ACLU decides this needs "handled" though?

[gatorgriz]

Finally some sanity and common sense regarding who gets drivers licenses...

[R. Scott]

The ACLU has never been very active here in Virginia, I guess they learned.

[dagnabbit]

How long before the ACLU ...

How long before Jorge or Karl Rove picks up the phone?

[putupon]

To heck with California!

Old Dominion BUMP!

We should also quit honoring the licenses from California, West Virginia, Tennessee, and the 17+/- states that issue them to illegal aliens.

[Waco]

Let me guess,,,the Vir. Gov. is NOT a demo/commiecrat?

[Prodigal Son]

It seems to me a fundamental flaw in American security issues/identity theft is the widespread reliance upon driver's licenses as proof of identity. Once you get a driver's license in America you are hooked up for practically everything else. Of course a complicating problem is there are fifty different versions of license.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Bravo!

[dennisw]

HALLELUJA!!! Sanity and American pride prevail.

[R. Scott]

Actually, Governor Warner is a democrat – but a Virginia democrat.

[tdadams]

...driver's licenses are gateways into society. They are used widely to prove identity and allow people to open bank accounts and cash checks.

That's not true. I'm sure of it because my Democrat state representatives have reassured me so.

[.cnI redruM]

As Charles II once proudly said. "Ah Virginia, my old dominion." Virginia realizes that it's citizenship should remain a prized commodity. Smart move, Governor Warner.

[petitfour]

I'll wait to see what the new forms of ID required to prove identity and citizenship before I cheer. I lost my license post 9/11, and I went to DMV to get a replacement. They said I had to have a SS card and my birth certificate in order to get a replacement. Never mind that I had gotten the license complete with digital picture post 9/11. Replacement licenses are just copies of the lost license. They do not take a new picture. They refused to look at me and tell that I am who I am. I could not find a copy of my birth certificate, so I went home and looked up how to obtain a copy of my birth certificate, which, of course, has no picture of me on it. All I have to do to get one of those is put in my name, parents' names, place of birth, etc., and I can have a copy of my birth certificate sent to me. Anyone can order my birth certificate if they know the right info. I have since found my old birth certificate. I also went around the folks at the local DMV, and I ordered a replacement license on-line. I didn't need any of their documents. I simply requested a PIN online, and they sent me one. Then I ordered the thing. The folks at DMV said I couldn't do that. I said they were wrong, and they were. Stupid government bureaucracy.

[Corin Stormhands]

Actually, Governor Warner is a democrat – but a Virginia democrat.

Bolshevik! He's a Connecticut Yankee Carpetbagger.

Attorney General Jerry Kilgore and the GOP controlled General Assembly were the "driving" (no pun intended) force behind this.

[Darnright]

>Actually, Governor Warner is a democrat – but a Virginia democrat.

Actually, Horseface is from Indiana (or somewhere), he's no Virginian. However, our legislature is solidly Republican.

[ArrogantBustard]

Virginia gov Mahk Wahnah is a democrat. The legislature, OTOH, is Republican.