The Los Angeles Times has Gov. Vows to Veto Driver’s License Bill

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will veto legislation approved Thursday to create a separate driver’s license for illegal immigrants in California, a top aide said only hours after the bill passed the state Senate.

The upper house sent the controversial bill to Schwarzenegger on a 21-15 vote, the minimum needed for passage, only to have the governor’s office say he would reject it. It would be the second time in two years that Schwarzenegger has rejected Democratic legislation allowing licenses for illegal immigrants.

Richard Costigan, the governor’s legislative secretary, said the bill was premature because the federal government was still writing regulations on how states should, if they desire, provide driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

“We will be vetoing the driver’s license bill,” Costigan said Thursday evening.

What a surprise!

Heh!

UPDATE:

Reuters has Calif. legislature OKs driver’s licenses for illegals.

California’s legislature approved a bill on Thursday that would allow illegal immigrants to get state driver’s licenses, sending Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger a politically charged measure similar to one he vetoed a year earlier.

The state Senate voted 21-15 for the bill, which would allow California to issue driver’s licenses with a distinct design and color for illegal immigrants. The licenses could not be used to open up bank accounts or for purposes other than driving.

Supporters of the bill, which the Assembly of the Democrat-controlled legislature approved on Wednesday, say providing licenses to illegal immigrants would make roads safer by putting more trained and insured drivers behind the wheel.

Sen. Gil Cedillo, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, said he had amended it from a year earlier to add the distinctive color to differentiate it from a standard driver’s license.

His office also amended the bill so that illegal immigrants will not get licenses until new federal regulations on driver’s licenses go into effect in eight months.

Cedillo’s office estimated about 2 million undocumented immigrants could apply for drivers licenses under the bill.

“This is not the bill you have seen in the past,” Cedillo said. “This reflects the national consensus.”

Opponents argue the measure would effectively sanction illegal immigration, an issue of concern for a large number of California voters.

National consensus for what?

Illegal immigration? HARDLY!

Governor Schwarzenegger will VETO this bill.

The Los Angeles Times has Illegal Immigrant License Bill Advances.

After a late-night debate on the politically sensitive issue of immigration, the California Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill to extend driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

The measure would clear the way for California to create a distinct driver’s license, with a unique design and color, for people who cannot prove legal citizenship in the United States. The license could be used only for driving and would not be valid identification for other purposes such as opening a bank account or boarding an airplane.

The bill, SB 60 by Sen. Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), would also allow roughly 800,000 people in California who have applied to federal immigration officials for legal residency to get a California driver’s license starting as soon as March 2006.

The bill passed 42 to 34.

Cedillo’s bill passed the Senate in June on a 22-16 partisan split. Now the Senate is expected to approve recent amendments and send it to the governor, who is under pressure from Republicans to veto the measure.

Another No-Brainer here…… California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will VETO this bill.

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