Chapa Lavia speaks on Hispanic issues
Town meeting: Aurora state representative explains votes


By Justina Wang
Staff writer


AURORA — State Rep. Linda Chapa Lavia said she will support a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to get driving certificates.

At a Latino Town Hall Meeting she hosted at Sacred Heart Church, the Aurora Democrat responded to written questions from those in attendance about everything from her take on bilingual education to why she voted in April 2004 against a bill that would have provided driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants.

Chapa Lavia said she heard from her constituents after the 2004 session, and voted in favor of the bill this March.

Because it was closer to passing this time around, the bill's sponsor Edward Acevedo, D-Chicago, pulled the vote in the hopes of pushing the bill through later in the same legislative session.

As a result, no public voting record was kept.

"I will vote yes the next time it comes because I know my community," she said.

"The first year, I didn't know my community."

Chapa Lavia later clarified that she supported allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for driving certificates, which would carry more restrictions than licenses and require drivers to have insurance and be monitored annually.

In response to a question about why she didn't attend local immigration reform rallies this year, Chapa Lavia said she was working in Springfield but was "behind the scenes" and "helped out in a big way."

A secretary from her district office represented her at April's student march in Aurora, Chapa Lavia said, adding that she spoke on the phone with several of the teen organizers and reminded them to be respectful and carry American flags.

The state representative said she has written letters to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, asking him for an appointment to discuss immigration reform but has not been granted one.

Chapa Lavia also said she wants to help residents create afterschool programs and bilingual Parent Teacher Organizations, and push for more effective ways to teach students English.


07/15/06

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