Kulongoski looks for driver's license compromise
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - To comply with new federal requirements, Oregon should give driver's licenses only to people who can prove they are in the state legally but at the same time make driving privileges available to undocumented workers in Oregon, Gov. Ted Kulongoski says.
Under pressure from the federal government, Kulongoski and the Legislature when it meets in 2008 are expected to take up the question that bears on immigration policy, the health of Oregon's farms and national security.
The federal government's Real ID Act requires states to bring their driver's licenses under a national standard and to link their records to national databases. The Congress passed it after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Despite Kulongoski's urging, the Legislature in its session earlier this year failed to pass legislation to deal with the requirement.
At a service club meeting Tuesday in Eugene, Kulongoski said he understood the concern over identification questions, such as for passengers boarding airplanes, and he spelled out his position.
"The federal government wants some assurance that in fact the people who are receiving those licenses have legal presence in the states that provide them," he said. "I actually think there should be a driver's license that does actually show legal presence in the state."
Kulongoski told the Eugene Register-Guard his position reflects a growing concern about crimes such as identity theft, because it is so easy for people to get an Oregon driver's license without presenting such proof of identity as a birth certificate or Social Security card.
But he said such requirements would create a problem for workers "who do not have a legal presence in the state" and their employers.
He said the state could issue what some call "driving-only" permits, so people can drive to work. They could not be used as official ID, though.
"I'm not trying to create a situation where we have all these people driving without insurance because they're out there without a driver's license, Kulongoski said.
Some agricultural interests want such a permit system for their workers, but proponents of tough anti-immigrant policies are opposed.
"We should deny them drivers' licenses if they are not here legally," said Jim Ludwick of Oregonians for Immigration Reform. "They should not be driving on our roads."
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Under pressure from the federal government, Kulongoski and the Legislature when it meets in 2008 are expected to take up the question that bears on immigration policy, the health of Oregon's farms and national security.
The federal government's Real ID Act requires states to bring their driver's licenses under a national standard and to link their records to national databases. The Congress passed it after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Despite Kulongoski's urging, the Legislature in its session earlier this year failed to pass legislation to deal with the requirement.
At a service club meeting Tuesday in Eugene, Kulongoski said he understood the concern over identification questions, such as for passengers boarding airplanes, and he spelled out his position.
"The federal government wants some assurance that in fact the people who are receiving those licenses have legal presence in the states that provide them," he said. "I actually think there should be a driver's license that does actually show legal presence in the state."
Kulongoski told the Eugene Register-Guard his position reflects a growing concern about crimes such as identity theft, because it is so easy for people to get an Oregon driver's license without presenting such proof of identity as a birth certificate or Social Security card.
But he said such requirements would create a problem for workers "who do not have a legal presence in the state" and their employers.
He said the state could issue what some call "driving-only" permits, so people can drive to work. They could not be used as official ID, though.
"I'm not trying to create a situation where we have all these people driving without insurance because they're out there without a driver's license, Kulongoski said.
Some agricultural interests want such a permit system for their workers, but proponents of tough anti-immigrant policies are opposed.
"We should deny them drivers' licenses if they are not here legally," said Jim Ludwick of Oregonians for Immigration Reform. "They should not be driving on our roads."
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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