The governor of California, Jerry Brown, signed a bill that allows the undocumented immigrants living in the state to obtain driver’s licenses. These licenses will be issued with a notice that says that these documents can be used only for driving and not as federal identification documents.
Governor Jerry Brown addressed a crowd at the signing ceremony. He said that this is the first step and that the undocumented immigrants need not live in shadows. He also added that this step the state has taken would draw the attention of the rest of the country.
This bill signed by Brown will permit undocumented immigrants living in California to obtain driver’s licenses. To get these documents, undocumented immigrants in the state need to pass the written and the road tests. Reports state that around 1.4 million undocumented immigrants living in the state would apply for driver’s licenses in California.
Brown earlier signed a bill that allows all the immigrants irrespective of their immigration status, to receive law licenses in California. Undocumented immigrants in California, who pass the California state bar can now practice law. These two bills, that Brown has signed, are likely to impact more than 2.45 million immigrants living in the state.
The bill that grants driver’s licenses to the undocumented immigrants will improve public safety and make our roads safer. Around 1.4 million immigrants are expected to apply for driver’s licenses in California and the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will start issuing driver’s license to undocumented immigrants in the state by January 2015.
These immigrants can use these licenses to drive legally but not as an evidence of US citizenship or legal status in the country. Likewise, immigrants who hold these documents will not be entitled to public or employment benefits.
According to the bill, to get a driver’s license in California, applicants need not prove that they are legal residents. All one needs to do to obtain driver’s license is to pass the written and the road tests.