Perhaps national attention (and the threat of withholding $$$) will force the representatives in Raleigh to finally get down to business.

http://www.wnct.com/servlet/Satellit...=1128768076248

Nov 10, 2005
Tom Brockman
WNCT-TV9

The state is taking steps to crack down on illegal immigrants getting driver's licenses.
Wednesday, Nine On Your Side told you about the true I.D. act - a plan to prevent the state from using taxpayer identification numbers as an I.D. Members of congress like Representative Sue Myrick wants to cut off federal highway money until the state makes it harder for an illegal alien to get a drivers license. If it's passed, it could cost the state $890 million in transportation money.

For Senator David Hoyle of Gaston County, threatening to remove the states federal transportation dollars just to make progress isn't the way to go. Especially when he says progress is already being made.

Hoyle says, "I don't disagree with what she's trying to do at all, but the point I'm trying to make is we're working on it. We're going to do it." He says he introduced a bill this past august that would fix the problem of issuing illegal immigrant's driver's licenses. According to the amendment, someone's Individual Tax Identification Number could not be used as a form of id to get their license. Instead, he says if the person applying doesn't have a Social Security Number, they could use their Visa, but as soon as that expires so does the license.

Hoyle says, "She's got to give us more tim It's in a bill. It's ready to go. It's past the senate. It's ready to be enacted into law and will be."

The problem? The senate passed the amendment just before they adjourned in early September. Hoyle says it still needs to go through the house and then to the Governors Easley. But the general assembly isn't scheduled to meet again until may.

But he says there's a bigger issue at hand. He says, "The problem is these people are illegally here. 300,000 of them, they've got the power to stop that. I don't. Why don't they stop that, then this drivers license issue is not an issue." But no matter which direction fingers are being pointed by law makers, for them one thing is clear and they say something needs to be done.

So why threaten the state when they say they're doing something about it? We took that to U.S. representative Sue Myrick.

She tells us if the state does take action when the reconvene, then there will be no need to cut federal funding, which could amount up to $890 million.

So what about senator Hoyles claim that more needs to be done to keep illegals out of the country? Myrick says starting in December, there will be legislation introduced to address those issues.