Thread: Ehrlich Seeks Driver's License Limits

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01242.html

Ehrlich Seeks Driver's License Limits

By John Wagner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 3, 2006; B04


Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. yesterday called for quick action on tightening identity requirements for driver's licenses, prompting Democratic lawmakers to accuse him of preying on fears about immigration to motivate his conservative base.

"It is clear that Maryland is becoming a magnet for illegal immigrants living on the East Coast who are using fraud to prove legal residence in the state," Ehrlich (R) wrote in a letter urging the chairman of a legislative panel to hold a hearing on proposed state regulations before the Nov. 7 election.

The Ehrlich administration sent the panel emergency proposals in July to eliminate what the governor termed "the most unreliable documents" as proof of identity when seeking a driver's license, including foreign baptismal certificates and foreign school records.

Sen. Paul G. Pinsky (D-Prince George's), chairman of the panel that reviews state regulations, said he considered it impractical to pull together 20 lawmakers, most of whom are running for reelection, before November for a hearing on a complex issue that has proven controversial and is drawing renewed concerns from advocates for immigrants.

"I wanted this to be a thoughtful process and not be bullied into something that is campaign fodder," Pinsky said yesterday.

Ehrlich spokesman Henry Fawell said politics was not driving Ehrlich's sense of urgency. Rather, he said, the state's Motor Vehicle Administration has experienced a dramatic increase recently in fraudulent applications for driver's licenses. He also pointed to last week's indictment of five people who were allegedly part of a ring that sold 150 fraudulent licenses.

"Those are two very good reasons to move forward quickly," Fawell said. "If anyone is concerned about politics entering this debate, they should turn to Senator Pinsky. It's astounding that a senior lawmaker would drag his feet like this."

A spokesman for Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley (D), who is seeking to unseat Ehrlich in November, said the mayor supports Pinsky's desire for careful deliberations and would not take a position on the regulations until after a hearing. "It's amazing how many issues Bob Ehrlich has discovered five weeks before the election," O'Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese said. "It makes you wonder what he's been doing for the last four years."

Maryland is one of a few states that do not require applicants to prove they are legal immigrants before seeking a driver's license. States are preparing to comply with a sweeping federal law passed last year that will tighten rules on driver's licenses and other forms of identification. In his letter, Ehrlich said the state regulations he has proposed were "common sense changes" that could be made before complying with those requirements.

The governor could ultimately change the regulations without the legislature's consent, but it can be done more quickly with legislative input.

Del. Jean B. Cryor (R-Montgomery), who sits on the review committee, said it was unfair for lawmakers to question Ehrlich's motive on an issue that should have been addressed some time ago.

"In this environment, in the month before an election, if you ordered a bowl of oatmeal at a diner, you'd be accused of being political," Cryor said.

Del. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Montgomery), another committee member, said Ehrlich's lack of past urgency on this issue, however, showed that "this is all a political gimmick."

"They're looking to use illegal immigrants as a scapegoat in this election," he said. "When you have no record, you must dwell on people's fears to motivate voters."

Although Ehrlich does not talk often about immigration on the campaign trail, he has had several clashes with advocates during his term. He drew fire last year for trimming Medicaid services to newly arrived legal immigrants. In 2004, Ehrlich roiled minority communities by declaring that "multiculturalism is bunk."

Gustavo Torres, executive director of CASA of Maryland, an immigrant advocacy group, said Ehrlich's letter risked stirring the same kind of feelings.

"My first reaction is that we are in elections, and he wants to use the issue of anti-immigrant feelings," Torres said. "It's not going to be a good thing for him to use it because people will be very upset; our community will be very upset."

Staff writer Nancy Trejos contributed to this report.

Notice how the three Democrats stuck together in their resistance to tightening the driver's license restrictions.

Yet the idiots in Maryland want to vote Ehrlich out. Bunch of morons.