A long-debated proposal to expand driver’s license access to undocumented immigrants took a major step Thursday toward becoming law, clearing the Senate with a strong enough margin to overcome the prospect of Gov. Charlie Baker’s formal opposition, the State House News Service reported.
Senators voted 32-8 in favor of the controversial reform, which has drawn skepticism from Baker and split voters. Five Democrats joined the chamber’s three Republicans in dissent, but backers still got more than enough favorable votes on record to signal the Senate would clear the two-thirds vote needed to override a potential veto. The House passed a similar bill by a veto-proof 120-36 vote in February.
Pitching the bill as a road safety and immigration measure, supporters said it would ensure that some of the 185,000 immigrants who already live in Massachusetts without legal status are properly tested before driving, and relieve their fears of traffic stops spiraling into devastating consequences.
Legislators have several more steps to complete before the bill can become state law. House and Senate leaders will need to agree on final language to send to Baker’s desk, which they could try to do informally — senators previously said the changes they made before bringing the proposal to the floor were technical in nature — or by appointing a conference committee.
Existing state law prohibits anyone “who does not have lawful presence in the United States” from acquiring either a standard Massachusetts or expanded REAL ID–compliant driver’s license.
The bill would open up access to the former license type, which cannot be used to board a flight or access a federal building, regardless of immigration status. To apply for a license, someone without legal presence would need to provide the Registry of Motor Vehicles with a foreign passport or a consular identification document, as well as at least one of five other documents: a driver’s license from another state, a foreign driver’s license, a birth certificate, a foreign national ID card, or a marriage certificate from any U.S. territory.
Road safety and immigration reform advocates spent years unsuccessfully pressing lawmakers to act, arguing that expanding license access would ensure undocumented immigrants who already live in Massachusetts are properly tested before getting on the road, and rein in their fears of law enforcement entanglement.
A number of years ago, an young island woman was killed at the intersection of county road and the Edgartown Vineyard Haven road. Two people in the other vehicle were severely injured.
It exposed the dark underbelly of racism against Brazilians here.
Despite the fact that the woman was very drunk and travelling in excess of 80 mph coming up a hill that obstructed the view of her rapidly approaching the intersection, many here blamed the unlicensed driver of the vehicle turning onto the ED-VH road. He was Brazilin.
He was blamed by many simply because he was unlicensed. He was not charged with anything other than driving without a license.
If he was licensed, it likely would not have made any difference in that case. But it is just possible that someone from a country with different rules of the road may learn something while going through the process of obtaining a license that could prevent a tragic accident in the future.
Don, you have hit a new low.
John– tell me if anything I mentioned is untrue. Or for that matter, offensive to anyone other than the racists who posted very offensive racist comments on that story.
Could you tell me why you personally think my comment is so “low” or offensive ?
In that case an unlicensed driver killed a young island woman. Those are the facts. How many islanders deaths are acceptable to you ?
John– I am a little surprised that you are so openly supportive of the idea that young adults should have the freedom to consume enough alcohol to be double the legal limit to drive , and then get behind the wheel and drive at over 80 mph in a 40 mph zone while having everybody else stay out of their way.
Most people think that is not a good idea.
I looked up the accounts of that accident before I posted anything.
My facts are correct. I did not post the actual article out of respect for the deceased.
I personally think that no islander’s deaths is acceptable.
Nor do I think that the death of any person, regardless of place of birth, religious beliefs or sexual orientation, is acceptable.
That’s why I am supporting this bill to insure that everyone on the road knows how to drive, and has passed both a written test and a road test.
Don hit the nail on the head, he is a professional.
Albert, your comments are usually immature and asinine, but this one cracked me up. Well done sir.
I do my best to fit in here.
Are they also required to pay taxes? Or live for free and mooch off of our resources while not providing any contribution?
Mike– thanks for chiming in.
When you talk about “they”, are you talking about the Brazilian community here?
You know those hard working people that clean the houses of the wealthy and middle class here ? Are you talking about the landscapers that keep our island nicely manicured?
Are you talking about the painters, woodworkers,masons, arborist, restaurant workers, mechanics, day care workers, and various other tradespeople who are getting up and working so hard that “they” are eliciting comments here about how they are putting the lazy Americans out of business? Are you talking about all THOSE hard working “mooches” ?
I’m not sure if you know anything about business, but if the system can’t provide a mechanism to allow undocumented people to directly pay taxes and prevent them from ever collecting social security, somewhere along the line, their employer is.
And everybody pays sales tax.
I wonder what you think contributing to our community is ?
Can you define “what is a contribution” for us ?
I look forward to your definition.
And I also am looking forward to John Axel’s rationale as to why he thinks drunk driving is a right of islanders.
And call me a troll, if you will, but where’s Andy?
Come on buddy–
“Shave and a haircut….. ”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ds6w7SkHyw
Don, “They” is referring to any undocumented immigrant. It’s not limited to one nationality or community. While many of our undocumented immigrants work very hard, much harder than many Americans; a good number of them are sending the majority of the money “they” earn back to their home countries, while still expecting to be given the same benefits of documented immigrants and American citizens without the expectation of contributing to the tax pool. Nothing is for free, nor should it be. Don’t paint this as a racist opinion. I have many friends who are Brazilian and they are documented. I can’t speak for all documented immigrants, but my friends don’t appreciate undocumented immigrants receiving the same benefits that they do because they are also paying taxes and settling roots here on the island. There’s a difference between a freeloader and contributor. We should all be contributors. Why do I pay out the wazoo for my families health insurance, taxes and the like when undocumented immigrants expect to receive all of it for free. It makes no sense.
One more thing. As an African American I can tell you that not everything is racially or culturally motivated. That assumption needs to stop. I can’t say that nothing is motivated by race, but not everything. This assumption has helped foster such a divide in this country.
Mike– I agree– Not everything is racially or culturally motivated– I am sure most things are not.
If you read my comments carefully, you will not find that I think there is a racist behind every tree. Quite the contrary– But you will find that I will call them out when they are metaphorically decorating those trees with ropes.
But to get back on topic, can you in any way say that John’s comment above about the unlicensed driver being at fault was not racially motivated ?
Do you really think he would say that if that unlicensed driver were his son ?
Mike-
Just to address the health insurance issue. Almost 10 % of Americans don’t have any form of health insurance because it is unaffordable to them or they would rather spend the money on alcohol and tobacco.
Who pays when they have liver failure or get lung cancer ?
https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2021-11-17-cdc-reports-uninsured-first-six-months-2021#:~:text=An%20estimated%209.6%25%20of%20U.S.,for%20Disease%20Control%20and%20Prevention.
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for health insurance
But since we are a civilized country, we don’t let them die in the streets.
https://atdfourthworld-usa.org/latest-news/immigrants-come-use-welfare/?gclid=CjwKCAjw9-KTBhBcEiwAr19ig3UDRk_R6v2cbBzEm4myfs2h92c4hvHmkcd9ufp5344ICUA7hcBL0hoCMWIQAvD_BwE
https://www.cato.org/blog/cis-exaggerates-cost-immigrant-welfare-use
https://www.wbur.org/news/2010/06/21/immigration-explainer
And just for the record, let me confirm that you are against people supporting their families by sending money to relatives who are in impoverished countries and cannot afford to even apply for a visa .
I helped 2 Jamaicans gain legal entry into the U.S.
When I met them they were making about $1.50 an hour, and were working 60 hour weeks in a resort. After paying a $300 fee to an agency such as the Cape cod workers program and actually landing a job here, they still needed a sponsor who was willing to spend hours filling out paperwork and have immigration crawl over the sponsors personal fiancés. The fee to get an interview in the embassy in Kingston was $130 . If they said no, they were out the cash.
It also required a day off from work, which resorts are reluctant to grant. At $1.50 an hour neither had a vehicle, and had to rely on public transportation– add $60 to the interview cost.
Once the visa was approved, there was a $50 background check, a $50 medical exam, and about another $100 in various fees.
They also had to have a passport that cost $75 and of course had to pay for airfare to get to the states.
I covered almost all of those cost for both of them. I have been paid back in full. Both are employed full time and have extra income from “side businesses” One is a homeowner on the Vineyard and a citizen.
The other lives in Baltimore and will be eligible for citizenship in October 2022.
They both send money “home”.
I wonder why you have a problem with that?
Mike, if they work they must pay taxes, their employers must withhold some of their pay for the purpose.
No Island citizen would ever employ anyone without withholding taxes.
At least no one we know…
Actually Albert, there is quite a bit of “under the table” money being passed around in the trades.
BUT– If an employer is giving cash to an employee, the employer is not able to write that off an an employee expense. It then winds up on their balance sheet, and they are taxed on it.
Hard to get around.
Actually Don there are a lot of small time contractors who do cash only jobs and pay only in cash.
Same with landscapers and house keeping services.
All that paperwork is expensive and annoying.
And honest days pay for an honest days work.
Many of the undocumented immigrants that I have come to know will only work “under the table.” Sadly this is due to a fear of being identified and sadly sent away.
My issue is that someone without documentation can get a drivers license yet we have no idea of any past behavior. Driving is a privilege, not a right. We have no idea if an undocumented person is coming here with a history of OUIs or any other unsafe behavior. Yet Joe Blow has 2 drinks on the golf course; gets rear-ended and then loses their license on suspicion of OUI or incurs heavy legal fees due to the faint smell of alcohol on their breath.
Every persons rights should be honored the same. Regardless of race, heritage or any other lifestyle. But as I stated earlier, driving is a privilege, not a right. It’s opening up a potentially dangerous can of worms.
Mike– I’m not sure about your claim that we don’t know about the driving record of immigrants. How hard is it for the DMV to check the records of foreigners ?
Are you saying that we can search the records of documented immigrants, but not undocumented immigrants ? How does that work ? They all have a name after all.
Those sites that offer to check the criminal record of anyone are not limited to U.S citizens.
Also, no one loses their license on “suspicion of OUI “. They lose their license because they have a blood alcohol level above a certain level or they refuse to submit to testing.
If Mr. Blow only had 2 drinks at the golf course, he would certainly pass a blow test.
No problem.
We can have our opinions about the constitutionality of the law about refusing to incriminate yourself, but it is the law of the land.
If you’re not drunk, blow and go home.