This Washington
New License Legislation Would Single Out Immigrants
OneAmerica, the same group that protested Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen's (D-10, Camino Island) bill that would have required proof of legal residence to get a driver's license, came back to Olympia yesterday. They're objecting to another driver licensing bill (there are six this session) that OneAmerica spokesman Charlie McAteer said would would brand undocumented immigrants with a "scarlet letter."
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Mike Armstrong (R-12, Wenatchee), would allow undocumented immigrants to get a license without proof of residency, but it would single them out by differentiating their license with a stamp: "not valid for identification purposes." Advocates for undocumented immigrants 'two-tiered' driver licensing system that would deter some from pursuing a driver's license.
Haugen's original bill, which PubliCola previously covered, would have required license applicants to provide a social security number or proof that they were in the US legally. Haugen's bill was eventually amended this week to match Armstrong's.
Yesterday, in OneAmerica's written testimony to legislators, the group explained that "creating a 'two-tiered' driver's license system that brands people as undocumented will undermine public safety for all Washington state drivers" because there will be more unlicensed and uninsured drivers on the road.
Rep. Armstrong responded to those concerns in committee yesterday, saying, "I want everyone to have the opportunity to have a driver's license---not just people that the federal government deems as citizens of this country as some bills do," adding that this was a "middle of the road kind of bill." Armstrong noted that nearly half of the house had cosponsored his legislation, including some Democrats.
McAteer told PubliCola yesterday that Armstrong's bill, although it doesn't go as far as Haugen's, would still deter undocumented immigrants from seeking driver's licenses.
Armstrong's bill could get a committee vote next week. At the end of yesterday's hearing, committee chair Rep. Judy Clibborn (D-41, Mercer Island) sought to quell suspicions that this was an attack on immigrants, saying that "it does not deny licenses" and it does not require a passport.
We have a call in to Rep. Armstrong's office.
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Mike Armstrong (R-12, Wenatchee), would allow undocumented immigrants to get a license without proof of residency, but it would single them out by differentiating their license with a stamp: "not valid for identification purposes." Advocates for undocumented immigrants 'two-tiered' driver licensing system that would deter some from pursuing a driver's license.
Haugen's original bill, which PubliCola previously covered, would have required license applicants to provide a social security number or proof that they were in the US legally. Haugen's bill was eventually amended this week to match Armstrong's.
Yesterday, in OneAmerica's written testimony to legislators, the group explained that "creating a 'two-tiered' driver's license system that brands people as undocumented will undermine public safety for all Washington state drivers" because there will be more unlicensed and uninsured drivers on the road.
Rep. Armstrong responded to those concerns in committee yesterday, saying, "I want everyone to have the opportunity to have a driver's license---not just people that the federal government deems as citizens of this country as some bills do," adding that this was a "middle of the road kind of bill." Armstrong noted that nearly half of the house had cosponsored his legislation, including some Democrats.
McAteer told PubliCola yesterday that Armstrong's bill, although it doesn't go as far as Haugen's, would still deter undocumented immigrants from seeking driver's licenses.
Armstrong's bill could get a committee vote next week. At the end of yesterday's hearing, committee chair Rep. Judy Clibborn (D-41, Mercer Island) sought to quell suspicions that this was an attack on immigrants, saying that "it does not deny licenses" and it does not require a passport.
We have a call in to Rep. Armstrong's office.
