A handful of Republican representatives in Olympia filed a bill on Monday that would require applicants for state drivers licenses or instruction permits to provide proof “that the applicant’s presence in the United States is authorized under federal law.” This comes nearly a week and a half after Senate Republicans filed their own bill seeking to do the same. However, you need not worry since none of the five similar bills that have been proposed since 2005 (one, two, three, four, and five) have even made it out of committee. In fact, the committees never even scheduled public hearings for any of them.
So, why do these lawmakers keep pushing for an evidently dead cause? I called Representative Tom Campbell (R-2), the sponsor of the bill introduced this week, to try to get an answer. After my first call was not returned, I tried again, and a member of his staff informed me that “he would not be interested in making a comment at this moment.”
Senator Val Stevens (R-39), the sponsor of the senate’s bill, had this to say in an official statement:
“Since they have already committed a felony by entering the U.S. illegally, many illegal immigrants will continue to break the law. Too often they drive without insurance, contribute to gang problems, and lie about their status in order to obtain work.”
As you may recall, this is the same senator who said that if Referendum 71 passed, the homosexuals were “finally going to take control of our culture and push their depraved lifestyle on our children and families.”
Xenophobic, not xenephobic.
So, without a license, these ruthless felons would follow the letter of the law and not operate a motor vehicle? Uh, ok.
@1 – Fixed.
I haven’t been slogging as much lately, but Jon’s callin’ folks, doing cross comparisons on issues and not just posting news stories? Fuckin’ awesome, man. Well done!
Wait, so the way to ensure that people who come here illegally DON’T “continue to break the law” by driving without a license and, therefore, insurance is to… deny them licenses?
Right.
Oh great, now my visits to the DMV will take 4 hours instead of 2.
I still haven’t seen John McCain’s birth certificate from the United States, just the one he has from his birthplace in Panama.
And I’m pretty sure Sarah Palin is Russian. She says she can see Russia from her house, so she must be one of them Russians. Probably a White Russian.
“to try TO get an answer”
not
“to try AND get an answer”
Sorry, my high school English teacher corrected me on that one and I’ve been returning the favor ever since. (And yeah, Val Stevens is a douche.)
🙂
@7 – Fixed.
Val Stevens wants so badly to get the national notice that Michele Bachman gets. It must be such a disappointment to her to not make the front page at MSN with her looniest ideas.
Is it a felony to enter the US illegally? It is a felony to re-enter. Why should we expect a legislator to know the law?
I am in your room, stealing your flowers.
Yes, Val.
Boo!
I was under the impression you couldn’t get a driver’s license without a birth certificate. And don’t you need a driver’s license to get car insurance?
This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.