MA - RMV boss puts illegals above public safety
The Lowell Sun
Updated: 01/02/2013 07:00:50 AM EST
Give Rachel Kaprielian credit. She's found a loophole in a new state motor-vehicle law and like a good bureaucrat, she's driving a truck through it.
It doesn't matter if public safety suffers on Massachusetts roads -- and more Bay State citizens are killed in accidents involving illegal aliens -- Kaprielian's got a job to do and that's to err on the side of inclusiveness.
The new law, passed by the state Legislature in July, prohibits the issuance of a vehicle registration unless the person possesses a driver's license, a state ID card, a Social Security number or "other proof of legal residency."
As the top honcho at the state's Registry of Motor Vehicles, Registrar Kaprielian has ruled that a utility bill qualifies as "other proof of residency." Tell that to a landlord who's never had a tenant run out on him.
Beginning next month any one can show up at an RMV branch and produce a National Grid or Nstar bill and he or she -- no matter if they can speak English or not -- will be allowed to register a motor vehicle and take to the road.
What's next, a local cable television bill as proof of identity? Try that before boarding a plane at Logan Airport and see where it gets you.
The Legislature put the new law in place after several unlicensed and undocumented drivers were involved in fatal accidents. Before the law there was no proof of ID requirement to get a registration.
Kaprielian's broad interpretation welcomes abuse. It's disheartening because the former state legislator has done yeoman's work in revamping RMV district offices and making operations more efficient and customer friendly.
Some say Kaprielian's serving as the fall gal for Gov. Deval Patrick. He initially vetoed the Legislature's bill and forced both the House and Senate to take successful override votes to codify the law.
One way or the other, Patrick was going to give illegal aliens the right to drive -- and create mayhem -- on Massachusetts roads.
Government bureaucracy's calculated decision to water down this public-safety law is an affront to the state's 6.3 million citizens. It follows a Patrick administration pattern of flouting the law whenever it suits the governor's political purpose and protected constituency.
The new law is basically useless in improving the safety of our roads.
Kaprielian and the RMV have given illegal aliens another way to hide, this time in the headlights of oncoming traffic.
RMV boss puts illegals above public safety - Lowell Sun Online
