Immigrants to Keep Driver Privilege Cards

Feb 26, 2008 by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News) Immigrants' rights groups are celebrating a small victory after a key Senate committee shot down Representative Glenn Donnelson's attempt to revoke driver privilege cards issued to Utah's undocumented immigrants. Immigration activist Tony Yapias says the 3-to-2 committee vote against the bill will be warmly received by Utah's Hispanic community, and he hopes the issue will not come back again next year.

"I hope this will be the last year in terms of having these bills dealt with at the state level," Yapias says. "We hope next year we'll see Congress dealing with this issue rather than the state looking at this issue, because I feel that's where it needs to be delt with."

SB 239 removes undocumented residents' ability to obtain a driver privilege card. Donnelson says the driver privilege cards are a national security risk, because the state does NOT require recipients of the cards to prove their real identities. Those opposed to SB 239 argue the cards have increased the number of undocumented drivers who get insurance. However, the economic impact of eliminating the driver privilege card program perhaps played the most important role in the bill's defeat.

"I think these are issues we just, out of hand, can't dismiss," Knudson says. "I think we have to consider these impacts on the economy of our state. And on the businesses who have ramped up and have been able to grow because of this."

That's Republican Senator Peter Knudson, the chairman of the Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee, who joined Democratic Salt Lake County Senators Scott McCoy and Ross Romero in voting against the bill. Utah Governor John Huntsman had also vowed to veto the bill if it cleared the Senate. The bill already passed the House by a close 39-to-35 vote. It has now been sent back to the Rules committee, and it is doubtful it will get another hearing before the session is over.

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