Free Republic

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A bill allowing an estimated 2 million illegal immigrant drivers in California to get legal driver's licenses cleared a Senate committee Tuesday, which was the bill's first hurdle in the Legislature. The latest attempt to make illegal immigrants eligible for the licenses, the bill would require applicants who cannot prove legal residency in California to be fingerprinted, undergo background checks and get adult sponsors. Illegal immigrants would pay $146 for a license to cover extra costs of guaranteeing that licenses aren't used as a tool for terrorists to move freely in California. Senate Transportation Committee Democrats favored...

HOLT - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Saturday he is very optimistic about reaching agreement on a law offering driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants and denied he is insisting the licenses carry a mark that flags the holders' illegal status. But the Republican governor said such a mark, which license supporters have decried as a scarlet letter that would lead to discrimination and abuse, would be the next best thing if he and lawmakers can't come up with other ways to meet security concerns, principally a way to verify the license applicant's identity. "If they cannot satisfy all of the security...

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday renewed his support for granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants -- if security issues can be resolved. The governor's pledge in a private meeting with Latino legislators appeared to ease their concerns. They had feared Schwarzenegger had reneged on a promise to negotiate new legislation to replace a law he pushed the Legislature to repeal last fall. It's clear ``there is a willingness to try to find a compromise that is acceptable to both sides,'' said Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento. It's uncertain how quickly Schwarzenegger and the legislators can reach a deal, and...

<p>Complicating the push to give illegal immigrants access to California driver's licenses, U.S. officials say a legislative plan to use federal taxpayer identification numbers to screen noncitizen drivers would pose a "potential security risk."</p> <p>An Aug. 9 letter from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to the state Department of Motor Vehicles raises doubts about a provision of the bill, saying individual taxpayer identification numbers are "not valid for identification outside the tax system."</p>