Assembly Passes 'Green Light' Driver's License Bill

The New York State Assembly passed a bill Wednesday that would allow undocumented immigrants to get drivers licenses. The bill — known as the "Driver's License Access and Privacy Act (A3675B) or, more popularly, the "Green Light Bill" — secures driving privileges for all New York residents, including undocumented immigrants.

The purpose of the bill is to enhance public safety, according to the legislation. It will next be taken up in the Senate.

The bill's sponsor, Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo, a Democrat from the Bronx, said in a press release that the legislation "allows for undocumented immigrant New Yorkers, who contribute to our state economy in so many ways, to drive safely to and from school, work and home."

He said that not only will the state's roads be safer, "but families of immigrants will have more peace of mind while their loved ones are on the roads."

Opposition to the bill includes the state Association of County Clerks, which expressed concern that undocumented immigrants might use fraudulent foreign papers to get a state ID, democratandchronicle.com said.

Staten Island's Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican, said it was a security issue that should be of concern in a post-9/11 world.