Mayor Fuller, 14 Other Leaders Support Driver’s License Bill

NEWTON, MA — Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller is one of 15 mayors and city managers from Across Massachusetts who have announced their support for The Work and Family Mobility Act, which would allow immigrants without status to qualify for a Massachusetts Standard Driver’s License with valid proof of identity, date of birth, and state residency, according to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.

The leaders expressed their support in a letter to the Joint Committee on Transportation, which reported it favorably in 2020. It was posier for passage last session when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and has been reintroduced this session.

The bill now has over 100 co-sponsors in the House and Senate, as well as support from the Driving Families Forward Coalition that has frown to include more than 270 endorsing organizations, and has a thumbs up from mayors and managers in Amherst, Arlington, Boston, Brockton, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Malden, Medford, Newton, Randolph, Revere, Salem, and Swampscott.

In their letter, these officials noted that the proposal would greatly improve road safety and increase the ease with which law enforcement officers conduct their regular duties.

“Providing access to driver’s licenses to immigrants makes all of our communities safer and more equitable,” said Fuller in a statement.

The bill is currently awaiting a report from the Joint Committee on Transportation, which must be produced by March 4.