Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com. margin-top: 0 !important; The Senate voted 32-8 Thursday. Larry Fish, chairman of the Board of Directors for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and former CEO of Citizens Bank, noted that the immigrant and undocumented community is being pushed away from places near economic opportunities as a result of the extremely high cost of housing.. Under the law, a person can obtain a drivers license or learners permit in Massachusetts so long as they pass a road test, meet all other qualifications, and provide proof of their identity, date of birth, and residency. Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-McCammon, sponsored Senate Bill 1081, which would create the new restricted drivers license anyone 16 or older who resides in Idaho could obtain, regardless of whether they have a Social Security number. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website. font-weight:bold; However, municipalities may open their polls as early as 5:45 a.m. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote. Massachusetts Gov. Earlier this year, the state Legislature overrode a veto from Gov. 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. The sad thing is, we want members of our community who are essential workers to be there when we need them, but were perpetuating an obstacle to their ability to drive to work legally by not passing this law, Fitzpatrick said. Lawmakers backing the move say it. The word count for the ballot summary is 437. 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. Sponsors of the measure hired Antonio Molle and Sadie Webb to collect signatures for the petition to qualify this measure for the ballot. [25], The deadline for registration is 10 days prior to the election. We dont normally send out something without recommendation, and sometimes that feels like an abdication of our responsibility as committee members, she said. Charles D. Bakers (R) veto of House Bill 4805 (H 4805). Standing alongside her is Roxana Rivera, vice president of 32BJ SEIU, who led the push for the law with Reason. The law specifies that information provided by or relating to any applicant or license-holder will not be a public record and shall not be disclosed, except as required by federal law or as authorized by Attorney General regulations, and except for purposes of motor vehicle insurance. voters may get to decide whether to overturn undocumented immigrant driver's license law Create a . Question 4 asks voters whether to uphold a new law that allows immigrants without legal status to apply for a Massachusetts driver's license. Support local journalism by becoming a member. It prohibits the Registry of Motor Vehicles from asking about or keeping documents related to immigration status. Catch up fast: Legislators enacted the law in June, overriding Gov. "The Registry of Motor Vehicles, who are going to be in charge of this, has no authority under any federal constitution or federal law to grant legitimacy to people who are otherwise in the country illegally," McMahon said. To prove identity and date of birth, applicants need to provide the RMV with at least two documents from both of these categories: At least one of the documents must include a photograph and at least one must state a date of birth. 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. In the debate, Crighton refuted McMahon by pointing to the fact that to register to vote, applicants must also prove their citizenship and that the RMV has already granted licenses to green card holders, foreign visa holders, and DACA recipients, among others, without enrolling them as voters. Roman, and Dr. Beth Eagleson of Baystate Health in Springfield, said current fears of getting pulled over, arrested or discriminated against leads to public health and educational hurdles, as some workers avoid or delay doctors appointments, COVID-19 testing, getting vaccinated or attending parent-teacher conferences. Korman added that farm workers without licenses are at higher risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19, as they often must share vehicles or ask for rides over 20- to 30-minute commutes in rural areas where bus routes are slow and infrequent. font-weight:bold; Massachusetts does not allow same-day voter registration. 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. Debate: Question 4 would let undocumented immigrants to get a drivers license in Massachusetts. Alexi Cohan is a producer on Greater Boston. Retired Meridian Police Chief Jeff Lavey told the Senate Transportation Committee that members of the Idaho Sheriffs Association voted unanimously to oppose the bill to create a restricted drivers license. The effort ultimately received more than enough support to make the ballot. The Massachusetts State Senate will debate whether undocumented immigrants should be able to get drivers licenses in formal session Thursday morning. Sheriffs in general do not feel that issuing this restricted driving card to somebody thats broken potentially broken federal immigration laws is not a good policy for sheriffs, Clearwater County Sheriff Chris Goetz said. Navigating Research with Undocumented Immigrants as an Undocumented Immigrant; Announcement of New Series! To apply for a drivers 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. At the time of the override vote, Democrats held such a majority. Click "show" below to see the full list of Massachusetts veto referendums between 1919 and 2021. 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]. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. This bill is patently unfair to those who have taken the time to immigrate to our great country via legal means and significantly diminishes the public safety of all residents of the Commonwealth. But Trackels motion failed on a tie vote. 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. Massachusetts voters will decide this November whether to overturn a new law that makes undocumented immigrants eligible for driver's licenses. 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. Massachusetts requires a two-thirds majority in the General Court to override a veto. Undocumented applicants will have to show at least two official forms of ID for a driver's license and prove that they live in Massachusetts. The law requires that applicants for a drivers license or learners permit shall attest, under the pains and penalties of perjury, that their license has not been suspended or revoked in any other state, country, or jurisdiction. Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston. margin-top: 10px !important; McMahon also argued fatal crashes have risen in states that have passed similar legislation. A "no" vote would . In February 2022, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a bill to allow undocumented immigrants to apply for standard Massachusetts driver's licenses. Idaho State Capitol building on January 11, 2023. Migrants have faced a warm welcome but major challenges, like housing and education. 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. If we already have a system in place that works, how would this be any different? Crighton asked. Driving is not a luxury, Roman said. The measure is due for a new report from the Joint Committee on Transportation by March 4. A "yes" would uphold the current law to allow immigrants to obtain licenses, while a "no" vote would reject the new law. 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. Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. Its about making our roads safer, making sure that everybody has to pass a road test and vision test to get a license in the Commonwealth.. text-align:center; Farm owners, he said, have long relied on the worst of Band-Aid solutions off-the-record agreements with local police chiefs to help prevent their workers from being pulled over. 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. !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