Senate panel approves driver's permits for undocumented immigrants

PROVIDENCE — For the second year in a row, the Rhode Island Senate is moving legislation to give driver's permits to people who are not in this country legally.

And this year, with "strong" support from Gov. Dan McKee, the chances the bill will also make it through the House appear better than they were in past years.

The first significant action came Thursday when the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 7-to-3 for the latest version of the legislation to provide "driver privilege cards and permits," at a cost of $50, to people "unable to establish legal presence in the United States."

To qualify, the applicant would, at minimum, have to provide some proof of their identity and residency in Rhode Island and verification from the state tax administrator that he or she filed an income tax return for the previous year, or was claimed as a dependent on one.

Previously: RI could be closer than ever to issuing driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants

A driving privilege card or permit "shall not be a valid form of identification for official federal purposes or state voting purposes," according to the legislation.

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi paused action on an earlier version of the driving privileges bill late in the session last year, in the face of questions from the Division of Motor Vehicles about where the money would come from to pay the cost of creating and making the special licenses.

In written testimony this year, DMV administrator Walter Craddock said his division is working with the sponsor to address those concerns.

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McKee wrote lawmakers a letter of "strong support" for the legislation, which he referred to as "licenses for all."

"Limiting one's access to education, employment, and health care because of lack of access to personal transportation is not productive,'' McKee wrote.

Conversely, "access to driving privileges will ... lead to an increase in per capita income."

His reasoning: "If individuals have access to transportation, they are not limited to a specific zip code, can access better public schools/education opportunities, which in turn can open doors to more training opportunities as well as higher-paying and career-building jobs."

Last year: House speaker puts pause on bid to expand immigrant access to driver's licenses

Added Craddock: "As the agency responsible for licensing individuals to operate a motor vehicle on Rhode Island's highways, the DMV is deeply committed to ensuring that all operators are properly licensed and that all motor vehicles are properly registered and insured.

"This bill would take the important step of licensing a class of motorists that may currently be driving on Rhode Island's highways without having gone through tests of their knowledge and road skills, and as a result, may present a danger both to themselves and to other drivers."

That does not mean the opposition has disappeared.

In his written testimony, Terry Gorman, president of the group known as Rhode Islanders for Immigration Law Enforcement, urged the lawmakers to do "the RIGHT THING and vote against [this] EGREGIOUS bill."

The legislation now goes to the full Senate for a vote.

The top three on the Senate leadership team — Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, Senate Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey and Senate Majority Whip Maryellen Goodwin — joined the Senate Judiciary Committee for the bill.

The three nays were cast by Democrats Leonidas Raptakis and Frank Lombardi and Republican Gordon Rogers.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants in RI Senate vote