Calif. Legislature Clears Driver’s License Bill for Deferred-Action Recipients, Punts 'Safe Harbor' Measure
On Aug. 30th the California legislature cleared AB2189, which would give illegal aliens access to driver's licenses if they obtain deferred-action status under the Obama Administration’s executive amnesty. The driver’s license language was added to an unrelated bill and moved quickly through both chambers just prior to the legislature’s recess.
The Obama Administration’s deferred action amnesty offers illegal aliens under the age of 31 a work permit and a two-year stay from deportation, but it does not confer lawful status or automatically qualify illegal aliens for driver’s licenses. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Gil Cedillo, was concerned that deferred action recipients might not be able to get licenses under California law so he convinced Democratic leaders to move his last-minute measure.
The bill passed in California’s Assembly by a vote of 55-15 after passing in the Senate one day earlier by a vote of 25-7. Gov. Jerry Brown’s office did not indicate whether he would sign the bill. Brown has until the end of September to sign or veto it. If signed into law, the measure could add 450,000 licensed drivers to California roads.
The legislature attempted to clear another pro-illegal alien bill prior to recess but ran out of time. SB901, also known as the California Opportunity and Prosperity Act (COPA), would have established a program to allow illegal aliens to live and work in California without fear of deportation. Illegal-alien participants could have achieved a “safe harbor” if the governor persuaded the president to direct federal agencies not to deport program participants.
SB901 is very similar to AB1544, which was pulled from consideration in late May. COPA, however, would have allowed any illegal alien to apply for deportation amnesty instead of just those working in the agricultural and service industries.
Like with the passage of AB2189, legislators used sleight-of-hand in their unsuccessful attempt to pass SB901. Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, the measure’s sponsor, gutted an unrelated bill and inserted his language in an effort to avoid substantial debate on the matter.
For more information, read here and here.