Kulongoski reaffirms immigrant license plan

By Brad Cain
The Associated Press


Published: Thursday, November 15, 2007


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SALEM — Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski still supports giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, even though New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has backed away from a similar proposal.

Spokeswoman Patty Wentz said Kulongoski believes life would be safer for all if illegal immigrants had to go through the process of getting licenses.

The idea has drawn opposition from Democrats and Republicans in the Oregon Legislature.

The chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, Democrat Rick Metsger, said the consensus among lawmakers is that the public strongly opposes the idea. And he says he doubts that such a plan would work in the first place.

[b]“You could count on one hand the number of supporters there are for this in the Legislature — if there are even that many,â€