Thread: Drivers certificate bill for immigrants advances

Driver's certificate bill for immigrants advances
(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."

He added, "The immigrant community wants to do things the right way if they have the opportunity."

If they were the legal immirgrant community they could get a licence. If they are illegal then they should have come to America the "right way" How dumb do they think Americans are?

So reward the criminal is the answer! How about writing a bill that will punish them if they are caught driving without a license and extra special time spent with Bubba if they are an illegal alien. Impound the vehicle.

How about if those frustrated illegal aliens go freaking home where they belong? They aren't miserable enough to leave and that's my goal.

The days of easy does it on illegal aliens is over in my book. You don't like it leave!

There is no such thing as a good excuse for breaking the law. I don't really care why they are breaking the law. They are and they should be punished. That's all there is too it. Pretty simple.

Dixie

Giving anyone a license does NOT guarantee they will buy insurance.

Tx requires all drivers to have liability insurance. I have a police report showing a Hispanic driver with no license, no insurance, causing an accident> he was allowed to go on his way---no tickets-nothing. The 2 other driver's had to sort things out.

There is also a nasty thing called the "named excluded driver clause". The named excluded driver is not named on the proof of insurance card. Therefore uninsured drivers can show proof of ins., even tho they are "excluded" from coverage. CRAZY

You will learn about these things when you become a victim.