Following years of advocacy for the bill, House and Senate Democrats on Thursday enacted the legislation, which supporters say will make the roads safer by granting access to licenses for many undocumented immigrants who are already living throughout the state. DEIJ Policy | Ethics Policy | Privacy Policy. Ballot measures, Who represents me? The registrar of motor vehicles cannot ask or create a record of the citizenship or immigration status of the applicant, and applications cannot be used to obtain the federally-recognized Real ID. COVID strikes, the national food supply chain is rattled, and we momentarily wake up in our state and declare farm workers are sometimes essential when we need the fruits of their labor, Philip Korman, executive director of the nonprofit Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, said Tuesday. In this, I think we might need the wisdom of the whole body as we debate and deliberate this.. Debate: Question 4 would let undocumented immigrants to get a drivers license in Massachusetts. Interns wanted: Get paid to help ensure that every voter has unbiased election information. In February 2022, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a bill to allow undocumented immigrants to apply for standard Massachusetts driver's licenses. The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 10, and the FRE is 61. This bill is a bad bill, Diehl said in June. The committee collected over 100,000 signatures to place the veto referendum on the ballot. The following are acceptable forms of identification:[25], Massachusetts automatically registers eligible individuals to vote through the Department of Motor Vehicles, division of medical assistance, health insurance connector authority, and other agencies that collect what state law defines as reliable citizenship information.[26]. Listen Live: Classic and Contemporary Celtic, Listen Live: Cape, Coast and Islands NPR Station, 'Heartbroken' by the tragedy of war, a Ukrainian opera singer performs in Belmont, Healey's proposed budget a boon to education and the environment, Senate confirms first Hispanic judge to Massachusetts federal court, The woman who introduced MLK Jr. and Coretta Scott lies in an unmarked grave in Boston, The civil rights memorials that expose America's ugly history and warn of repeating the past. Crighton said, however, the statistic is part of a national trend, citing the rising number of deadly crashes over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. No more than one-quarter of the certified signatures on initiative or referendum petitions may come from any one county. He has covered every Idaho legislative session since 2011 gavel-to-gavel. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. If the petitioners submit a written request for the suspension of the targeted law prior to the referendum election, signatures equal to 2 percent of the total votes last cast for governor are required to both suspend the law and force an election. Massachusetts voters narrowly approved a law that allows those in the U.S. illegally to obtain a driver's license. Only about 7 percent of those polled were unsure of how they felt about the law. Shearer repeated the department's mission statement and goals before launching into the numbers for 2022. [25], The deadline for registration is 10 days prior to the election. GBH News brings you the stories, local voices, and big ideas that shape our world. "This makes our roads safer by requiring that everybody follow the same set of rules," Crighton said. Stream GBH's Award-Winning Content For Parents And Children. We cant keep telling them theyre essential and at the same time deny them the right to drive.. During Tuesdays hearing, the organization PODER of Idaho presented a petition with 8,000 signatures supporting the bill to create a restricted drivers license. The state Senate picked up the bill, too, before Baker vetoed it in May. } At least 16 states, including Connecticut and Vermont, allow residents to get a driver's license or permit regardless of immigration status, supporters say. MassBudget estimated in a March 2020 report that the law could help between 41,000 and 78,000 people get a state license in the first three years after passage. Last week, Senate President Karen Spilka said that as a granddaughter of immigrants, she has been a long-time supporter of the Work and Family Mobility Act and is pleased to see it move forward. Join us. One committee was registered in support of a 'no' vote on Question 4: Fair and Secure Massachusetts. Federal courts | background-color: black !important; Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. It prohibits the Registry of Motor Vehicles from asking about or keeping documents related to immigration status. [13] In lieu of citizenship or immigration information, the bill allowed registrars to accept two documents that prove the date of birth and identity of the applicant, including foreign passports, birth certificates, or consular identification documents.[14]. Fernando Montelongo, who served as a student page in the Idaho Senate during the first part of the 2023 legislative session, testified in support of the restricted drivers license bill. The law was designed to take effect on July 1, 2023. If the law is not overturned by voters, it will go into effect next July. The FKGL for the ballot summary is grade level 20, and the FRE is 19. A bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for drivers' licenses has passed the Massachusetts Senate. If it becomes law, Massachusetts would join Washington, D.C., and 16 states, including neighboring New York and Connecticut, with similar laws, which have been considered in Massachusetts for nearly two decades a period thats seen significant updates in standards for identification required for licenses. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). McMahon also argued fatal crashes have risen in states that have passed similar legislation. .endorsements-header { Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. More News Alden-Conger's spring . Elizabeth Sweet, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition, said, "The Work and Family Mobility Act makes our communities safer, builds trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities, and benefits our economy. Voters will weigh in on the question during the general elections on Nov. 8. During Tuesday's hearing, the organization PODER of Idaho presented a petition with 8,000 signatures supporting the bill to create a restricted driver's license. They do not support issuing the drivers license to those that are in our country illegally, Lavey said. And by barring residents without status from accessing drivers licenses, the commonwealth is creating barriers to full inclusion, economic stability and better health.. Documents not written in English must be submitted with a certified translation. Crighton said residents should vote "yes" in the interest of safety. She is from East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and currently lives in the Boston area. Why it matters: Massachusetts is home to more than 200,000 immigrants without legal status, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Supporters of the Work and Family Mobility Act have said allowing undocumented residents to obtain licenses is a common sense public safety measure to make sure more drivers are properly trained on the rules of the road. Massachusetts voters will decide this November whether to overturn a new law that makes undocumented immigrants eligible for driver's licenses. Crighton countered, and said that was a national trend and had nothing to do with undocumented immigrants getting licenses. Everyone should have the right to access a drivers license regardless of documentation status., PODER of Idaho gathers 8,000 signatures for a petition in support of license bill. Massachusetts does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. McMahon cast doubt on the RMVs ability to handle differentiating between citizens and non-citizens. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Undocumented immgrants can get a driver's license in the following states: California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Hawaii Illinois Maryland Nevada New Jersey New Mexico New York Oregon Utah Voters in Massachusetts may be asked whether to repeal state law granting standard Massachusetts driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants in November. With your support, GBH will continue to innovate, inspire and connect through reporting you value that meets todays moments. New: With 32 votes in the affirmative to eight in the negative, @MA_Senate passes a bill allowing undocumented Immigrants to get drivers licenses @NBC10Boston pic.twitter.com/A02E6xmqXK. (WWLP) - Question 4 asks voters whether they want to uphold or overturn a new state law expanding eligibility for driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants.. The early voting period for Massachusetts begins on Saturday. Sec. Proponents said that H 4805 would increase road safety, reduce hit-and-run accidents, and help families without the required citizenship or immigration information. It also bars officials at the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles from asking about, or creating a record of, an applicants citizenship or immigration status, and enables those without proof of lawful presence, including residents ineligible for social security numbers, to be eligible for a license if they meet all other qualifications for licensure and provide satisfactory proof to the registrar of identity, date of birth and Massachusetts residency.. The Idaho Legislatures Senate Transportation Committee voted Tuesday to advance a bill that would create a restricted drivers license available to all people 16 and older residing in Idaho, regardless of their immigration status. text-align:center; Those states that have adopted this policy are highlighted in blue below:[2]. To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here. Question 4 on Massachusetts' 2022 general election ballots asks voters if the state should keep or repeal its new law allowing undocumented immigrants to get driver's licenses beginning next year . In Massachusetts, bills passed by the state legislature can be put before voters through a veto referendum petition. In the process, Guthrie predicted the new restricted licenses would make the roads safer and reduce costs and risks for all motorists by providing a path for more drivers to legally drive and obtain insurance. A "yes" vote on Question 4 will preserve the Massachusetts law that allows people living in the U.S. without authorization to apply for driver's licenses starting next July. V oters will decide on four ballot questions in the 2022 Massachusetts elections on Nov. 8. After implementing a similar law, Connecticut saw a reduction of hit-and run crashes, and a decline in the number of people found guilty of unlicensed driving, an investigation by the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting found. One of the documents presented by an applicant must include a photograph and one must include a date of birth. I think the RMV [Registry of Motor Vehicles] is not equipped to properly vet people coming to the United States from over 100 different countries."[4]. Massachusetts Gov. .sbtotaltable th { According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, undocumented immigrants can get a driver's license in 18 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. In Massachusetts, undocumented immigrants are eligible to apply for a driver's license. Follow Boston.com on Instagram (Opens in a New Tab), Follow Boston.com on Twitter (Opens in a New Tab), Like Boston.com on Facebook (Opens in a New Tab), GOP-backed initiative to bring the matter to voters. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(e){if(void 0!==e.data["datawrapper-height"]){var t=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var a in e.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r What Happened To Sara Allen And Daryl Hall, Wax On Teeth After Dab, Ricky Pierce Wife, Tom Bradley Newsreader Disabled, Articles D