Posted on 06/27/2005 9:35:14 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO (AP) - State Sen. Gil Cedillo is making his fifth attempt in seven years to enact legislation allowing illegal immigrants to get California driver's licenses. This time he's hoping to get a governor's signature that will stick.
Former Gov. Gray Davis signed a Cedillo bill legalizing the licenses in 2003, but lawmakers overturned it after Davis was recalled following a campaign in which the license legislation was one of the issues used against him.
Davis' successor, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, signed the repeal bill and vetoed another version of the license bill last year, saying it didn't include adequate security provisions.
Now Cedillo is back with a bill that would implement new federal requirements for the licenses and presumably give Schwarzenegger what he wants -- a license with a unique design or color that wouldn't be widely accepted as a valid identification document.
''Our actions are based on a plethora of requests the governor has made,'' Cedillo said. ''He wanted a proposal with marked licenses. We're giving him that. He wanted a proposal that provides licenses for driving purposes only. We're giving him that.... There's no need to continue to play politics with this important issue.''
Schwarzenegger's press secretary, Margita Thompson, said the bill is premature because the Department of Homeland Security hasn't issued regulations spelling out the details of federal requirements.
''We need to see what those regulations are going to be,'' she said. ''They could come up and say we need to have blue licenses and we're doing red licenses and have a whole bunch of money spent.''
Homeland Security spokesman Jarrod Agen said it's too early to say when the regulations will be issued.
But Cedillo said it would be irresponsible for the governor to veto the bill, which would also implement increased federal security requirements for all driver's licenses.
''Nothing prevents the governor from signing this bill and working with Homeland Security to implement it,'' Cedillo said. ''We should be leading the way with the largest immigrant population in the country.''
He said it makes sense to provide illegal immigrants with the documents instead of having them driving without licenses.
The bill, which passed the Senate earlier this month, is scheduled for a hearing Monday by the Assembly Transportation Committee.
Here's what else is going on this week at the Capitol:|
BUDGET DEAL?|
California starts a new fiscal year Friday, but it may not have a new state budget in place by then. Last year, a budget wasn't approved until July 29.
But Schwarzenegger, facing declining poll numbers, has indicated an increased interest in negotiating agreements with the Legislature's Democratic leaders, which may make a budget deal possible this week.
BULLET BATTLE:|
Committees in the Assembly and Senate will consider bills that would require handgun ammunition contain identifying marks to help police solve crimes.
One of the measures, by Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, would require new handguns sold after Jan. 1, 2007 to imprint each cartridge with microscopic characters that identify the make, model and serial number of the gun. It's before the Senate Public Safety Committee on Tuesday.
The other bill, by Sen. Joe Dunn, D-Garden Grove, would require that all handgun bullets sold in California after July 1, 2007 come with serial numbers already on them. It will be considered by the Assembly Public Safety Committee, also on Tuesday.
Both bills are backed by Attorney General Bill Lockyer and opposed by gun groups.
WORKERS' COMPENSATION:|
Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-Van Nuys, continues his efforts to enact legislation regulating workers' compensation insurance rates. His bill is before the Assembly Insurance Committee on Wednesday.
Alarcon says rate regulation is the only way to ensure employers aren't overcharged for the insurance. Insurers contend legislation passed in 2003 and 2004 to control the cost of treating work-related injuries will bring down rates, which have skyrocketed in recent years.
GRADUATION EXAM:|
The Senate Education Committee takes up a bill Wednesday that would allow high schools, with approval of the state school superintendent, to use grades, assignments or other assessments to determine if students who fail the state graduation exam qualify for a diploma.
The author, Assemblywoman Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, says 19 other states provide alternatives to their graduation exams. ''Students should be allowed other ways to demonstrate proficiency,'' she says.
Without a change, the graduating class of 2006 will be the first one required to pass the exam to graduate.
|------|
On the Net: www.assembly.ca.gov and www.senate.ca.gov
Ping.
No. More from ONE socialist in California. If our state were that bad, he'd have had his way a long time ago. Instead, the governor who signed this bill was recalled, and a referendum was in place to undo the legislation, until the legislature did it on their own to avoid another special election steamroller.
Now quit the California bashing, especially from New York of all places.
Thanks - can you believe it? From the state that elected Hillary to the Senate.
"I can imagine the illegals have lots more fun with California owned cars."
Nah... that's why we have all the smog stuff on them, make them more expensive to run then the ones they steal from the 'Zoners.
We're in southern California, have had TWO cars stolen in the past eight years, and the cars were never to be seen again. The police told us quite frankly that they probably ended up in "chop shops", or were down in Mexico. One was stolen from the parking lot at my workplace, the other was stolen from a restaurant's parking lot while my husband was on his lunch hour, and his had an alarm system on it. Nothing is safe here anymore.
This email was just sent to Cedillo:
Why are you so set on giving California drivers' licenses to illegal border jumpers? Are you one of those who is happy to have criminals living in our country, stealing services from state and local government bodies and crippling hospitals while getting free medical care that we taxpayers have to pay for or see the ERs close and hospitals close?
These people need to be deported, NOT given special privileges. And people like you need to knock off this catering to illegal border jumpers b.s. like right NOW.
And, lest you think I am anti-immigrant, my wife is an immigrant from Jamaica and we went through all the hoops to get her green card.The only thing I ask of someone who wants to come to my country, just like my home, is that they come in the front door and follow the rules. If someone can't be bothered to do just that one simple thing, they do NOT belong here. I am disgusted with so-called "public servants" like you making it so easy for criminal alien border jumpers to cut into the line and circumvent the process established for LEGALLY entering this country. You are a disgrace and should be in prison for conspiracy to violate our immigration laws.
Very truly
David Wright
U.S. Marine Corps Retired
Just got it back with this note:
Your message
To: Senator Cedillo
Subject: Your bill to give drivers licences to illegals
Sent: Mon, 27 Jun 2005 20:16:36 -0700
did not reach the following recipient(s):
Senator Cedillo on Mon, 27 Jun 2005 20:16:45 -0700
The message could not be delivered because the recipient's mailbox is
full.
senmsx03.calegis.net 5.2.2
His agenda is very clear: America is finished. And he is honored to be the President in power when it happens.
The historians will shred him to bits as the president who allowed America to be turned into a third world country and who led America's middle class to destruction.
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