Driver's certificate bill for immigrants advances
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http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... S2.article)
April 4, 2007
By Ryan Pagelow
Legislation that would give undocumented immigrants the chance to get driver's certificates and drive legally, passed in the Illinois House Wednesday 60-56. The Roadway Safety and Mandatory Insurance Coverage Act now moves on to the state Senate. If it passes there, Gov. Rod Blagojevich says he will sign it into law.
"This is a big step forward for roadway safety in Illinois," said State Rep. Edward Acevedo of Chicago (D-2) who sponsored the bill.
Opponents say giving driving privileges to illegal immigrants rewards those who break the nation's immigration laws.
An estimated 250,000 adult drivers in Illinois do not have Social Security numbers and cannot get an Illinois driver's license or auto insurance. Uninsured drivers are involved in an estimated 76,000 accidents each year causing $630 million in damage claims.
The bill has received support from law enforcement associations and police chiefs, including Mundelein Police Chief Raymond Rose.
"I support it because I think everyone on the road should be licensed and insured. If not, they put everyone at an unnecessary risk," Rose said. "I personally know people who have been involved in traffic accidents with people with no insurance or hit-and-run accidents. This starts to drive up everybody's insurance costs. Hopefully this is going to have some impact on this. You need to prove that you have insurance."
The judicial system is bogged down with unlicensed driver's who don't show up to court, he said. A new database with fingerprints and photographs of those getting the driving certificates would help police keep track of them and know who they are.
"We can't just keep sitting and talking about what the problem is. I think that this bill is the starting point for solutions," Rose said.
Wednesday's vote in the Illinois House comes one week after about 2,500 immigrants and their supporters held a rally in Springfield, including about 200 people from Waukegan.
Ricardo Rosas, a truck driver and a Northeastern Illinois University student from Waukegan who participated in the rally, said the bill would alleviate the frustration immigrants have for Waukegan's controversial vehicle seizure ordinance.
"There are a lot of people in Waukegan who need to drive to work and take kids to school," Rosas said. "If the certificate goes through they will be safer and the police will not be towing as many people for not having a license."
He added, "The immigrant community wants to do things the right way if they have the opportunity."
