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Lawmakers in One State Move Forward With Plan to Give Illegal Immigrants Driving Privileges

Ahead of the 2022 midterms, the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office certified the number of signatures needed to put an initiative on the ballot that would reject a state law allowing illegal immigrants to obtain a driver’s license. Voters voted against repealing the law.

This week, reports broke that another state, one that is majority Republican, would move forward with a plan to give illegal immigrants driving cards. 

In Indiana, a state Senate committee voted 5-4 to endorse a bill that would give illegal aliens state-issued driving cards (via Fox News):

The bill would establish driver privilege cards, which the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles could issue to immigrants who pass the state’s driving test, have paid Indiana taxes in the past year, submitted to a fingerprint background check and provide proof of auto insurance.

Eighteen states, including California, Illinois, New York and Utah, already have approved similar driving cards in recent years, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

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Republican Sen. Jim Buck of Kokomo voted against the proposal after saying he was bothered by the state giving driving privileges to people who were not following immigration rules.

The bill would need approval from the full Senate in order to advance to the state House. 

In Democrat-led California, more than one million “undocumented” immigrants gained driver’s licenses, according to Cal Matters