Thread: Senate GOP strikes back at Spitzer's illegal immigrant plan

Senate GOP strikes back at Spitzer's illegal immigrant plan

By VALERIE BAUMAN | Associated Press Writer
8:39 PM EDT, October 22, 2007

ALBANY, N.Y. - The Senate's Republican majority moved Monday to try to block Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan to make it easier for illegal immigrants to receive driver's licenses.

The bill to reverse Spitzer's order drew some of the most heated and personal attacks seen in years on the state Senate floor, pitting upstate and downstate politicians against each other.

Some white upstate Senators felt they were being called racist and took offense to comments Sen. Kevin Parker made indicating that New York City was more valuable as a terrorist target than upstate regions.

"I'm sorry everybody is so thin skinned they are hurt by my comments, but I have a lot of people in my district and a lot of people in this state who are hurt by this legislation," the Brooklyn Democrat said.

The Senate's license bill, which passed 39 to 19, would require applicants for a driver's license to be in the country legally. Spitzer's plan will end that requirement in December, by no longer requiring a Social Security number to get or renew a license.

The debate was part of an uncertain special session that could include action on pay raises for legislators and judges and tax breaks despite a projected deficit.

Spitzer has said he can start the new policy in December without the Legislature's approval.

"We will change those rules," Spitzer said. "If somebody will challenge it, we'll see what the courts will do." He said he believes his administration is within its legal authority to change the rules.

"This governor is so ill advised, there's an arrogance to it that is hard to understand," said Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.

The Assembly's Democratic majority has supported the Democratic governor's plan, although some Democrats may side with the opposed Republican minority. The Senate's measure, if passed as expected in that chamber, wouldn't become law without the Assembly's support.

Bruno said the attempt to change the policy on illegal immigrants was unconstitutional, contradicted the REAL ID Act and opposed the guidelines provided by the 911 commission.

After leaving a closed-door conference with Senate Democrats, Spitzer said the discussion was ongoing.

"Reasonable people will disagree on tough issues," Spitzer said. "That's part of the discourse we have ... I think some of the rhetoric that has been imposed and brought into this issue has not only been overheated but I would say counterproductive."

Richard Clarke, the former counterterrorism adviser to three presidents, and William Bratton, the former commissioner of the New York City Police Department have supported the governor's plan.

Republicans argued Spitzer's plan wouldn't help an illegal immigrant get insurance and the roads would be no safer.

"It is conceivable that some insurers will sell an insurance policy absent a social security number, but they would be in the minority," said Michael Barry, vice president of public relations for the Insurance Information Institute.

Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith said he and most of his Democratic caucus support the governor's plan.

"This is the right way to go, given that Washington has failed to act" on illegal immigration, Smith said on the Senate floor.

Meanwhile, the Assembly's minority Republican caucus called on Democrats to help pass legislation with new amendments when they go into session Tuesday. The new items would also prevent Spitzer's plan from going through.

A spokesman for Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assembly Democrats had no comment on how they would vote on the issue if forced to.

A Siena College poll released last week found 72 percent of voters were opposed to "the governor's plan to allow undocumented immigrants to get New York driver's licenses."

Assembly Republican leader James Tedisco of Schenectady said Republicans plan to force a vote on the issue Tuesday, if the Assembly goes into session.

The session came the same day that Rensselaer County Clerk Frank Merola filed a lawsuit to prevent implementation of the new license policy.

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Associated Press Writer Michael Gormley contributed to this report.

Senate Votes Against Driver’s License Proposal

After an emotional debate — accompanied by a raucous protest outside the Capitol — the State Senate approved, 39 to 19, a bill that would overturn Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s decision to allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses. As Nicholas Confessore notes, the Republicans’ chances of prevailing on the issue are slim, given that the Democrats control the Assembly and the speaker, Sheldon Silver, supports the new policy. But the issue has threatened to overshadow all else in Albany.

Also on Monday, Frank J. Merola, the Rensselaer County clerk and one of the most vocal local officials to oppose Mr. Spitzer’s policy, appeared at the rally and later filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court challenging the administration. Under state law, several dozen other county clerks act as agents of the D.M.V. and must process driver’s licenses on behalf of the state. (See related blog post.)

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/ ... road-rage/

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Senate Votes to Stop Spitzer Plan to Give Illegal Immigrants Driver’s Licenses



James N. Tedisco, the Assembly’s minority leader, with folded arms, with Assembly Republicans opposed to the governor’s licensing plan.
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: October 23, 2007

ALBANY, Oct. 22 — Spurred by overwhelming public opposition to Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s decision to allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, the State Senate yesterday passed legislation that would overturn the policy.


The 39-19 vote, which passed with the support of all the Republican senators present as well as several key Democrats, capped a debate laden with accusations of racism and demagoguery and warnings about terrorism and voter fraud. The vote also followed a raucous protest outside the Capitol, during which some opponents of the plan called for the governor to be recalled or impeached.

The clashes over the driver’s license policy overshadowed nearly all other business on Monday, and further dimmed the prospect for passage of major legislation that the governor and the Legislature have been negotiating for months, such as campaign finance reform and a property tax rebate for elderly homeowners.

The Senate bill is among a range of legislative and legal maneuvers Republicans are mustering to overturn Mr. Spitzer’s plan, which was issued by the State Department of Motor Vehicles in September. Assembly Republicans said they would try to attach a similar measure to unrelated legislation likely to reach the floor of their chamber during Tuesday’s Assembly session.

Their chances of ultimately prevailing on the measure may be slight, given that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, supports Mr. Spitzer’s policy and has nearly untrammeled control over the flow of legislation in his chamber.

But Republicans are eager for even a procedural vote to put Democrats on the record on the issue. Some Democrats have expressed uneasiness with the governor’s plan and what they view as his failure to sell it to the public.

But when Mr. Spitzer emerged from a closed-door meeting with Senate Democrats on Monday afternoon, he showed little appearance of reconsidering his decision. He continued to argue that the new policy would improve public safety by shrinking the ranks of uninsured drivers and that his opponents had refused to face up to the practical realities of illegal immigration.

“It’s always good to have the conversation about why I believe what we’ve done is correct and appropriate and important,â€