ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota House voted 69-60 to allow undocumented Minnesota residents to obtain state driver licenses. The Driver’s Licenses for All bill would end a requirement that applicants for driver licenses produce documents that they’re in the United State legally. A companion bill is moving through the Senate. The House bill, also, prohibits special markings on licenses on immigration status. The bill was sponsored by Maria Isa Perez-Vega, D-St. Paul, and Aisha Gomez, D-Minneapolis. They argued that driver’s license should be about driving – not a tool for catching illegal immigrants The current system, they said, is problematic because illegals who need to drive to jobs – and thus pay taxes — are not allowed to be tested on driving skills. That, they note, is a safety issue. Also, without licenses illegal immigrants cannot obtain car insurance, which means they can’t pay their share of for damages and injuries from car wrecks. The bill has support from law enforcement.
Almanac
Minnesota has an estimated 81,000 undocumented immigrants. These people cannot be licensed to drive nor can they buy liability insurance to pay for damages and injuries in a traffic accident.
Opposition
Representative Patricia Mueller, R- Austin, who voted against the bill, explained that she worried that driverlicenses might be used by non-citizens to vote. Otherwise, she said she would have voted for the bill.
Costs
Secretary of State Scott Simon says the state Motor Vehicle Department need $2.9 million to switch to broader licensing practices.