House passes illegal immigrant driving bill
DAVID FITZGERALD
North West Herald
Mar 30, 2007
The Illinois House voted Wednesday to give illegal immigrants a way to legally drive on the state’s roads,
a move supporters say will be controversial but should improve highway safety.
The state would offer driving certificates to people who lack the valid Social Security number needed to obtain a regular license. The certificates would allow them to drive and buy auto insurance, but couldn’t be used as identification.
To get the certificates, people would have to provide a photo ID, such as a passport from their native country, and submit fingerprints. They also would have to prove they’ve obtained insurance within a month or the certificate would be canceled.
The measure passed, 60-56, and now goes to the Senate.
The legislation was the focus of a rally last week at the Capitol Building that drew hundreds of immigrants and their supporters to Springfield. Carlos Acosta, executive director of the McHenry County Latino Coalition, was one of about 40 area residents to lobby for the measure.
“We still have a lot of work to do in the Senate,” Acosta said Wednesday. “This is an issue that needs a lot of debate and a lot of discussion.”
Supporters of the legislation say that motorists already share the roads with unlicensed illegal immigrants, and giving all drivers the proper training is a safety issue. An estimated 250,000 illegal immigrants in Illinois drive without a license.
The certificate program would reduce that problem and provide information to police about who they’re dealing with during traffic stops, supporters argue.
“You don’t see a single police association opposed to this measure,” said Rep. Paul Froehlich, a Schaumburg Republican who is co-sponsoring the bill.
The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois Sheriff’s Association both support the measure, according to the Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, the group that sponsored last week’s rally.
Crystal Lake Police Chief Dave Linder said the measure was important for the law-enforcement community.
“We have undocumented people who are driving who are not familiar with the rules of the road and don’t have insurance,” Linder said.
Opponents, however, argue it’s wrong to make special accommodations for people who are in the country illegally.
Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, has said the bill was bad public policy and voted against the measure along with Crystal Lake Republican Rep. Mike Tryon
