House To Vote on License Bill (NM - Attempt to repeal driver's licenses to illegals)

The Albuquerque Journal ^ | March 4, 2011 | Dan Boyd And Deborah Baker

[CedarDave]

SANTA FE — A grueling day of high-stakes political wrangling over immigrant driver's licenses in the New Mexico Legislature ended without a clear resolution.

However, House Republicans, with the help of several Democrats, gave life to one of Gov. Susana Martinez's campaign priorities by circumventing the usual committee process to revive a bill that would effectively repeal the state law that allows illegal immigrants to obtain New Mexico driver's licenses.

A final vote on the measure, House Bill 78, was put off until today, with House Speaker Ben Lujan, D-Santa Fe, vowing it will be among the first items discussed.

Earlier Thursday, a Senate committee rejected similar legislation, signaling a similar fight could await in that chamber.

~~snip~~

Immigrants rights groups were also quick to criticize the action. "This isn't about driver's licenses," said Marcela Diaz, executive director of the Santa Fe-based Somos Un Pueblo Unido. "This is about politics."

New Mexico is one of three states — Washington and Utah are the others — that don't require proof of citizenship as a stipulation for obtaining a driver's license.

Martinez has strongly advocated for a repeal of the 2003 state law, both during her gubernatorial campaign and since taking office in January. However, the Democratic-controlled Legislature had largely stifled attempts to repeal the law before Thursday.

[CedarDave]

A legacy of the discredited Richardson administration is under fire by Susana. She is also playing the Democrats own game by "campaigning" in public for passage of the repeal and video taping legislative sessions and committee meetings.

The Rats are furious - the have requested the Democrat AG Gary King review and issue an opinion as to whether she can use left over campaign funds to pay for ads supporting her legislative agenda.

An immigrant rights group and Common Cause of New Mexico contend the governor has violated campaign finance laws restricting how campaign money can be spent. Common Cause views the ads as lobbying rather than an election expense. The governor's response is "nonsense": - why would a group of people who are here illegally have free speech when the duly elected governor does not? She's not waiting for the AG's opinion but going ahead anyway.

[CedarDave]

NM list PING! Click on the flag to go to the Free Republic New Mexico message page.

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[Mr. Mojo]

wrangling over immigrant driver's licenses

I guess the media thinks that if they just refrain from using the word "illegal" for long enough, people will start to think the GOP is trying to take licenses away from legal citizens/residents simply because they're not white.

[CedarDave]

At least the article didn’t use the adjective “undocumented” to describe them.

[pallis]

True, they aren’t undocumented illegals, because they have fake and stolen documents, making them illegally documented illegals, with the exception of their NM driver’s licenses. ...If you ever have one of these NM documented illegals crash into your car, good luck collecting from their undocumented insurance.

[HiJinx]

Ping!