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Lawmakers OK bill for legal immigrants to get driver's licenses
Associated Press
LANSING - A bill that would allow legal immigrants temporarily living in Michigan to resume getting driver's licenses is headed to Governor Jennifer Granholm.
Both the Senate and House passed a bill Thursday that would allow the secretary of state's office to resume giving driver's licenses to legal immigrants who are not permanent residents.
The bill would change a driver's license policy adopted in late January.
Businesses, universities and others that rely on legal immigrants had been urging quick action from the Legislature. Some workers and students had been denied licenses in recent weeks.
"We live in a global economy; that means protecting both our safety interests and our economic interests. This bill does both, which is especially important in a border state like Michigan," Sen. Mark Schauer, D-Bedford Township, said in a news release. "One of our state's biggest strengths is our mix of research institutions and jobs in the technology sector, both of which have an international presence. This bill made sure that we can continue to encourage investment and grow jobs in Michigan and while ensuring that illegal immigrants cannot obtain identification that would help them to participate in terrorist activities."
Illegal immigrants still would be unable to get driver's licenses under the revamped Michigan policy.
"It is long past time that we strengthen the requirements for acquiring a driver's license," Sen. Cameron Brown, R-Fawn River Township, said in a news release. "Many Michiganders would be shocked to learn that driver's licenses can be obtained by presenting as little as a utility bill or a pay stub. Requiring proof of legal presence or U.S. citizenship is a significant improvement over current law."
Until recently, Michigan had been one of the few states still allowing illegal immigrants to get licenses. That changed in late January, when Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land changed state policy for first-time applicants in accordance with an opinion interpreting state law from Attorney General Mike Cox.
Land interpreted the same Cox opinion to mean that legal immigrants who weren't permanent residents should not be able to get driver's licenses, either. Land said she wanted legal immigrants to be able to get licenses but state law would have to be changed to allow it.
Cox and Land, both Republicans, took some heat for the denial of licenses. Some Democrats said Land went too far in her interpretation of Cox's opinion.
Land spokeswoman Kelly Chesney welcomed the Legislature's action Thursday. Other bills that Land wants, also aimed at helping Michigan comply with the federal Real ID Act, are still moving through the Legislature.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued Land this week in an attempt to reverse the policy that denied certain immigrants licenses.
The ACLU said its immediate goal was to restore driving privileges for legal immigrants. But the organization's position is that driver's licenses should be available to all residents, including immigrants who live and work in the state and intend t o remain
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