.endorsements-header { He said despite a decline in hit-and-runs, fatal crashes are up. font-weight:bold; However, voters will be asked to show ID in the following circumstances: The following list of accepted ID was current as of November 2022. In hisveto message, Baker said the legislation "significantly increases the risk that noncitizens will be registered to vote," a possibility that bill supporters have refuted. text-align:center; If a petition seeks to suspend the targeted law and reaches the 2 percent threshold, the targeted law is suspended until the next general election, at which voters decide whether to approve the bill or reject it. In the GBH debate, the Republican nominee for attorney general, Jay McMahon, who is also a Fair and Secure Massachusetts committee member, said license applicants in Massachusetts are automatically registered to vote when their applications are processed, unless they check a box to opt out of becoming an enrolled voter. a summary of the law from the Secretary of States office, filed paperwork to start the ballot question process, the states Elections Division certified 71,883 signatures collected, 47 percent of residents surveyed were opposed to the legislation, a debate on the ballot question on GBHs Greater Boston, Connecticut saw a 9 percent decrease in hit-and-run crashes, several mayors testified on Beacon Hill in support of the law, the statistic is part of a national trend, Another fight is brewing over the undocumented immigrant drivers license law, Here's where the MassGOP stands after Tuesday's election, South Coast Rail: New Bedford, Fall River vote to join the MBTA, A valid unexpired foreign passport or a valid unexpired Consular Identification document. In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. columns: 1; Whether or not the state should follow through the controversial law will go before the people as Question 4 on this Novembers ballot, following a successful GOP-backed initiative to bring the matter to voters. Charles D. Baker (R), Gubernatorial Candidate Geoff Diehl (R), and State Representatives Colleen Garry (D) and Marc Lombardo (R). In Massachusetts, most polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The new law will allow undocumented immigrants to apply for a standard state driver's license beginning July 1, 2023. Massachusetts has implemented an online voter registration system. Charlie Baker, but shortly afterwards, a committee called Fair and Secure Massachusetts mobilized to get a referendum on the ballot and put the question to voters. Senate to Debate Driver's Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants This Week, Even After Investigation, Stoneham Cop Hasn't Paid Dime of Rent to New Landlord, Tracking the Next Hit of Wintry Weather Headed to New England, Due Late Week, Rescuers Capture Bald Eagle Believed to Be Critically Sickened by Rat Poison, Power Lines Crash Onto Cars, Trucks for Blocks in Stoneham. } } BOSTON (AP) Massachusetts voters will get the chance to decide whether the state should reject a new law allowing immigrants in the country illegally to obtain state driver's licenses. It looks like a bid to repeal a Massachusetts law allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses will make it on to the November ballot. Examples of acceptable identification include: a driver's license, state-issued ID card, recent utility bill, rent receipt, lease, a copy of a voter registration affidavit, or any other printed identification which contains the voter's name and address. A bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for drivers' licenses has passed the Massachusetts Senate. Ballotpedia features 395,437 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. columns: 2; Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. Idaho Capital Sun maintains editorial independence. It will be up to the House to initiate a veto override, with a two thirds vote required in each branch to make the bill law. Opponents of the bill said, under H 4805, it would be difficult for the Registry of Motor Vehicles to verify foreign documents and that the bill would permit noncitizens to vote. On June 13, 2022, Maureen Maloney and Kevin Dube filed the referendum with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance to create the Fair And Secure Massachusetts committee. First generation college student Stephanie Gonzalez Tena spoke in favor of the restricted drivers license, saying she doesnt want her family to live in fear of driving. of State Bill Galvin has said this type of regulation would be feasible to implement. The state has also seen a reduction in hit-and-run crashes and a steep decline in people found guilty of unlicensed driving, she said. -webkit-columns: 2; 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. } margin-bottom: 0 !important; The word count for the ballot title is 21. His reporting in Idaho has helped uncover a multimillion-dollar investment scam and exposed inaccurate data that school districts submitted to the state. too many, The following were the top donors who contributed to the opposition committees.Cite error: Invalid tag; invalid names, e.g. At least 16 states, including Connecticut and Vermont, allow residents to get a driver's license or permit regardless of immigration status, supporters say. But Trackels motion failed on a tie vote. 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. Do you approve of a law summarized below, which was approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate on May 26, 2022? While advocates continually push for accessible, affordable public transit across the board, we know this just isnt true everywhere or for everyone, creating gaps that require many undocumented immigrants to get on the roads for work or to help their families, she said. Proponents said that H 4805 would increase road safety, reduce hit-and-run accidents, and help families without the required citizenship or immigration information. Gov. On September 9, 2022, the secretary of state announced that the campaign had submitted 71,883 valid signatures qualifying the referendum for the ballot. .arguments-bm-widget li { Question 4 asked Massachusetts voters to allow those who cannot provide proof of citizenship and legal residency the opportunity to submit alternative identification for a driver's license.. This law does not allow people who cannot provide proof of lawful presence in the United States to obtain a REAL ID. Two years after lawmakers passed the Green Light law, arrests plummeted to about 30,000.. Massachusetts is one of the first states to put repeal of the law to a vote. In Massachusetts, the number of signatures required to qualify a veto referendum for the ballot is equal to 1.5 percent of the total votes cast for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election. Charlie Baker's formal opposition. Who was behind the campaigns in favor of a 'yes' or 'no' vote? Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Boston. Several police chiefs, sheriffs and Attorney General Maura Healey support the proposal. School districts | "But for many immigrants, it serves as a barrier to being able to put food on the table or care for their families.. The group said the proposal would improve public health, equity and road safety ensuring tens of thousands more drivers are road-tested and commuting to work, school and doctors visits safely, legally and without fear of arrest over their status. The law, as currently written, takes hold on July 1. 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 . It received endorsements from Gov. Any documents not in English must be accompanied by a certified translation. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is poised to sign a pair of bills that recently passed the state Senate which restore the voting rights of convicted felons immediately upon release and grant the ability for illegal immigrants to obtain a driver's license. The bill was then. "The rule of law matters," Lyons said. 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. Too many people in our communities drive in fear every day of being pulled over, detained, then deported. It prohibits the Registry of Motor Vehicles from asking about or keeping documents related to immigration status. Illegal immigrants in Massachusetts will be able to obtain driver's licenses after state lawmakers voted Thursday to override a veto from Republican Gov. At the time of the election, 17 statesCalifornia, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washingtonand Washington, D.C., had enacted laws authorizing the issuance of driver's licenses to immigrants who cannot provide proof of lawful or authorized presence. Only about 7 percent of those polled were unsure of how they felt about the law. Cities | To apply for a driver's license, immigrants will have to show two documents proving their date of birth and identity, like an unexpired foreign passport, consular identification document or certified copy of a birth certificate. The FKGL for the ballot summary is grade level 20, and the FRE is 19. [2], Yes on 4 led the campaign in support of a 'yes' vote on Question 4. This has nothing to do with immigration. The registrar may review any documents issued by another country to determine whether they may be used as proof of identity or date of birth, according to a summary of the law from the Secretary of States office. II. 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. . The House voted 118-36 Thursday to accept the conference committee report on the bill; the Senate vote was 32-8. "This isn't an immigration issue. [3], .ballot-measure-endorsements p { Click "show" below to see the full list of Massachusetts veto referendums between 1919 and 2021. During Tuesdays hearing, the organization PODER of Idaho presented a petition with 8,000 signatures supporting the bill to create a restricted drivers license. Crighton countered, and said that was a national trend and had nothing to do with undocumented immigrants getting licenses. Photo: Steph Solis/Axios. "Allowing parents to drive their kids to school, take them to doctor's appointments or be in charge of carpooling to take their kids to soccer, all without the concern they may be separated if they are pulled over, will allow children of undocumented immigrants to breath and have a sigh of relief," bill supporters Sen. Adam Gomez, a Springfield Democrat, said earlier this month. The overwhelming majority of bills that advance out of Idaho legislative committees are sent to the floor with recommendations the bills pass. "[1], The proposed law prohibited registrars from inquiring about an applicants citizenship or immigration status when applying for a driver's license or motor vehicle registration. DRIVER'S LICENSES FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS The House, 120-36, approved and sent to the Senate a bill that would allow people who are unable to prove lawful presence in the United States to. The state recently passed a law allowing undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license despite a veto from Gov. At the time of the override vote, Democrats held such a majority. In Massachusetts, undocumented immigrants are eligible to apply for a driver's license. Charlie Baker on Friday vetoed a bill making immigrants without legal status eligible to seek state-issued driver's licenses, saying the Registry of Motor Vehicles, an agency that he oversees, doesn't have the ability to verify the identities of potential applicants. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. Massachusetts senators passed a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to receive drivers' licenses. Democratic state Sen. Brendan Crighton, of Lynn, in a debate on the ballot question on GBHs Greater Boston earlier this month, said hit-and-run incidents have decreased in those states after the laws were put in place. The law directs the registrar of motor vehicles to make regulations regarding the documents required of United States citizens and others who provide proof of lawful presence with their license application. [16] In his veto message, Baker said: A standard Massachusetts drivers license will no longer confirm that a person is who they say they are [and the bill] restricts the Registrys ability to share citizenship information with those entities responsible for ensuring that only citizens register for and vote in our elections.[17][6]. Any information or communication provided by an applicant to the registrar of motor vehicles, including not providing proof of lawful presence, would not be considered public record nor be disclosed by the registrar, except as required by federal law.[1]. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. You can try, With Senate override vote, driver's license bill becomes law, House votes to override Baker's veto of licensing bill, Baker vetoes immigrant license access bill. John Milligan, of Fair and Secure Massachusetts, expands on this in his argument explaining the No vote published by the Secretary of States office: In his veto message of this bill, Governor Charlie Baker made it known that the Registry of Motor Vehicles does not have the capability or expertise necessary to verify documents from other countries and notes that, if this bill becomes law, Massachusetts drivers licenses will no longer confirm that a person is who they say they are.Additionally, Governor Baker states the bill specifically restricts the Registrys ability to share citizenship information with entities responsible for ensuring only citizens register to vote and vote in our elections, significantly increasing the likelihood that noncitizens will register to vote. Would increase road safety, reduce hit-and-run accidents, and said that was a national trend and had to. 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