Thread: Maine law may expand license requirements

Maine law may expand license requirements
By Mal Leary, Capitol News Service
Friday, February 29, 2008 - Bangor Daily News

AUGUSTA, Maine — Lawmakers may expand proposed legislation that would require proof of Maine residency to get a driver’s license to include a requirement that applicants also prove they are in the country legally.

"I find it difficult to envision circumstances under which this state or any state would want to give a driver’s license to someone who is not in this country legally," Bill Libby, the governor’s homeland security adviser, told the Legislature’s Transportation Committee on Thursday. "I think you should consider legal presence as you consider this bill."

Libby, who also serves as head of the National Guard and the commissioner of defense, veterans and emergency services, said he understands that it will take some work to establish definitions and procedures, but argued it is worth doing.

"A driver’s license is much more than a license to drive," he said. "We know it can be used to get a passport, to get access to federal buildings. It us much more than it used to be."

Libby said his goal is to do all he can do to protect Maine’s 1.3 million residents, and that broadening the legislation would help achieve it.

Sen. Dennis Damon, D-Trenton, co-chairman of the Transportation Committee, agreed with Libby that uses of a license have expanded far beyond its original purpose of proving a person has met the minimum skills to drive.

"It really was a pretty basic document back then," he said, "but it is far different today."

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, while supporting the residency requirement, has expressed concern about the administrative burden to the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles of screening applicants for their legal status. He said there would need to be more training for staff members to implement a residency requirement and further training if they have to screen documentation to prove legal alien status.

"That would impose a not inconsiderable burden on the staff," he said.

Sen. Christine Savage, R-Union, said the burden on the staff does not outweigh the public interest in assuring that only people legally in the country are able to get a license. She said she has been flooded with calls and comments from constituents outraged that Maine has a reputation as an easy place for illegal aliens to obtain a driver’s license.

"I was disgusted to hear about the Brazilian community in New Jersey sending people up here for driver’s licenses," she said. "Mr. Secretary, do you really believe this bill [on residency] will keep that from happening?"

Dunlap said he did. Rep. Boyd Marley, D-Portland, the House chairman of the panel, agreed and supported Dunlap’s position that determining immigration status is a federal issue, not a state matter. He said the committee should not underestimate the difficulty of establishing standards and procedures on immigration status.

"It doesn’t seem that all of these databases at the state and federal level are comparable," Marley said. "We don’t know if they can communicate. We have seen plenty of instances where they don’t."

Marley said the committee should "control what we can control" — namely, tightening the residency rules. He doubted that the state could come up with procedures and rules to determine whether a person is in the country legally.

"Forty-six other states have figured out how to do this. I don’t see why we can’t," said Rep. Richard Cebra, R-Naples. "I just don’t understand why some people have a problem with this."

Several committee members agreed and pushed for broadening of the legislation to include legal-presence standards.

"It seems to me that this isn’t rocket science and we should be able to come up with a solution," said Rep. Doug Thomas, R-Ripley.

The committee tabled a vote on the legislation until Libby and Dunlap can provide it with amendments to define what documentation and procedures should be used to prove both residency and legal standing to get a license to drive.

http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx? ... zoneid=500

I have sent some exploratory helpful information to some legislators and other folks in ME government on this. I'll post back any results and requests for later assistance should that come up.

added to homepage

http://www.alipac.us/article3005.html