http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 101D33.DTL

Senate passes bill extending licenses to illegal immigrants

By DON THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer

Thursday, June 2, 2005

(06-02) 13:41 PDT SACRAMENTO, (AP) --

The latest attempt to provide driver's licenses for illegal immigrants passed the state Senate on Thursday, after proponents tied the measure to the state's compliance with a new federal law intended to deter terrorists.

The bill by Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, includes provisions that restrict how the licenses can be used and what they would look like. Cedillo said the federal law signed by President Bush last month forced him to accept restrictions he previously rejected.

The measure passed 22-16, sending it to the Assembly.

The federal REAL ID Act requires states to verify that people who apply for a driver's license are in the country legally. But it also gives states a choice of whether to issue "driving only" licenses to illegal immigrants, as long as those licenses are marked by color or design as being different from a regular license. They also must state that the license cannot be used as an official identification card.

"This bill is about public safety. Millions of Californians are in jeopardy every day" from illegal immigrants who lack driver training and insurance, said Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-Van Nuys, whose son was killed by an uninsured driver.

Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Northridge, accused proponents of using the federal law to disguise their attempts to give licenses to illegal immigrants. The federal deadline for adopting regulations isn't until January 2009.

"It is not about public safety ... it's about illegal immigration," said McClintock, who voted against the bill.

He said passing the measure means that "it's the official policy of our state to ignore federal immigration law. ... We are accommodating them in the violation of federal law."

Gov. Gray Davis in 2003 signed a law allowing driver's licenses for nearly 2 million illegal immigrants, a move that angered his opponents and became part of the campaign to recall him less than a year into his second term. When voters replaced Davis with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the new governor promptly persuaded the Legislature to repeal it.

Schwarzenegger promised to work with Cedillo to create a license that didn't compromise security and carried a distinctive mark. But last year he vetoed Cedillo's attempt to create such a license, saying it didn't provide adequate security protections. He has not taken a position on the latest bill.

The state did not distinguish between legal residents and illegal immigrants in granting driver's licenses until January 1994, when a new law required applicants to produce a Social Security number. A recent Field Poll found nearly two-thirds of California residents oppose giving licenses to those who are in the state illegally.

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On the Net:

Read the bill, SB60, at www.senate.ca.gov