Posted on 04/19/2006 1:37:44 PM PDT by calcowgirl
SACRAMENTO – Sen. Gil Cedillo's maneuvering to broaden the appeal of his ongoing campaign to grant undocumented immigrants the legal right to drive may cost him traditional allies.
The Senate Transportation Committee yesterday approved his bill on a 7-3 vote amid the backdrop of recent massive immigrant rights rallies and a planned boycott of stores and jobs May 1.
The bill, SB 1160, is designed to give illegal immigrants the opportunity to apply for a clearly distinguishable document that could only be used as a certificate to drive – not for identification.
The legislation also includes provisions that would bring California into compliance with the Real ID Act, a new federal anti-terrorism law that requires states to impose tough identification standards on all driver's license applicants by May 2008.
If California fails to comply, the federal government would not accept the state's driver's licenses from those who want to board airplanes or enter federal buildings.
“This comes from the 9/11 report,” said Cedillo, D-Los Angeles. “This is the national consensus.”
But some advocates for immigrant rights and civil liberties have urged Cedillo to amend his bill to return to its original goal of granting actual licenses – as opposed to driving-only certificates – to those who cannot prove they are here legally. They contend a lesser measure could be perceived as California's stamp of approval of the federal law.
“We don't want to send the wrong signal to federal policy-makers about the state's willingness and ability to implement the Real ID Act,” said Valerie Small Navarro of the American Civil Liberties Union.
“We're trying to put pressure on Congress,” added Jeanette Zanipatin of the California Immigrant Welfare Collaborative.
States have complained the Real ID Act is too complex and costly. Privacy experts worry about data security. Others say many people, including older Americans, do not have ready access to documents, such as birth certificates.
Bowing to calls to proceed on separate tracks would deny millions – including many here legally – the ability to obtain licenses, Cedillo said.
“The proposal to bifurcate it is a proposal for the status quo and the status quo is unacceptable,” he said.
However, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed similar legislation last year and previously rejected a measure to grant licenses to those who cannot prove they are here illegally.
San Diego Democrats Christine Kehoe and Denise Ducheny voted for the bill.
If you drive for a living in California and this bill passes, you better be prepared to accept half your former wage rate if you want to continue employment.
Just in time for Arnold's re-election. Opposing it worked for him the first time too.
Their movement now have ACLU and the MALDEF supporting the illegals, can we still call them illegals?
http://www.maldef.org/
Care to see what lovely things they have planned?
Seriously question have they taken over and we just don't know it?
On the bright side, if they get licenses, they can't call themselves "undocumented" workers anymore ...
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the Committee before noon on Wednesday, April 12, 2006)
SUPPORT: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO
California Alliance for Retired Americans
California Nurses Association
California School Employees Association
Consumer Attorneys of California
County of Santa Clara
Gray Panthers
Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights
Lexicon
Los Angeles Metropolitan Hispanic Chambers of Commerce
National Association of Social Workers
North Valley Sponsoring Committee
PICO California
Sacramento Area Congregations Together
Soledad Enrichment Action Charter School
South Bay Latino Chamber of Commerce
Voluntarios de la Comunidad
Yolo County Sheriff's Department
OPPOSED: American Civil Liberties Union
California Family Council
Californians for Population Stabilization
California Immigrant Welfare Collaborative
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area
I hear ya. I note that the Chambers of Commerce seem to be in favor of this. Slave labor returns.
Nonsense. I would LOVE the legislature to pass this bill. NOTHING would be so effective to get turnout for conservative candidates and ballot measures. This bill will be withdrawn by referendum so fast it'll make Gil Cedillo run for the border.
The threat was enough to get the legislature to withdraw SB60 unanimously.
If this bill passes, Arnold will veto in a heart beat. I hope there will be an amendment on the November ballot to outlaw illegals driving under any circumstance. It would pass 2 to 1.
This is the same BS as civil union vs Marriage mentality.
Driving certificate vs DL.
They need to just plain STOP.
This is all causing a run to the US border.
(can't the USA just buy mexico outright?)
All this bill is about is preventing cops from taking cars from illegal aliens. They will then be able to drive around without fear and without insurance. I can’t imagine insurance companies will be climbing over each other to provide insurance to people who are not legally in this country, have no allegiance to this country and will disappear across the Mexican border the first time there is a liability issue only to reemerge in Texas or somewhere else under a different name.
I thought the people had already voted AGAINST THIS - and here is Cedillo going against the will of the people to try one more time to have this right of a "citizen" given to ANY ILLEGAL WHO COMES INTO THIS COUNTRY.
The liberals are really out of their minds.
"One-Bill Gil" is at it again.
No. The people never got a chance to vote. Gray Davis signed the bill in 2003 and there was a referendum in process (to override the legislation) to be put before the people and put it to bed once and for all. When Arnold came on board, he got the legislature to rescind the legislation bypassing the referendum process.
Since then, he has been dancing with Cedillo ever since saying that the licenses need to be distinguishable from regular licenses for "security reasons" (2004 Veto), or he has to wait until the RealID Act is finalized (2005 Veto). He needs to just come out and say "NO! I will veto all bills giving licenses to illegals." What part of Illegal do you not understand, Arnold?
I'd like to know how the phony immigrants will be able to apply for college loans without committing another fraud in the paperwork.
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