Driver's licenses for undocumented New Yorkers

ALBANY — Activists and Assembly majority members made their voices heard in the Capitol on Wednesday in pursuit of legislation that would allow undocumented New Yorkers to obtain driver's licenses.

Supporters believe the change could bring in about $57 million in annual state and county fees and taxes, generate $26 million in one-time revenue connected to people buying vehicles and result in a nominal reduction in car insurance rates for current drivers. If approved, New York would become the 13th state to allow residents to apply for licenses regardless of their immigration status.

Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, the sponsor of the bill, told activists in the Capitol that now is the time to approve this measure. He argued that the legislation has been improved from previous efforts to expand access to licenses.

"We want every resident of our state to have access to a driver's license," said Crespo.

The legislation is currently sitting in the Assembly Transportation Committee and doesn't have a sponsor in the state Senate.

In 2007, then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer pushed his own version of this bill, which died in the face of bipartisan opposition. At the time it also became a hot button issue for Hillary Clinton, who was in the middle of her first presidential bid.

Make the Road Action, an advocacy group for immigrant and working-class communities, endorsed Cynthia Nixon for governor in part because of her support for this type of proposal. "She has committed to us that she will stand with us on our top priorities—including by passing driver's licenses for all, regardless of immigration status, which is a top priority for immigrant voters in the suburbs like me," said Make the Road Action member Fernando Sosa in a statement.

Representatives from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office and campaign did not respond to inquiries about his position on the issue.

The proposed legislation includes a provision requiring the state Department of Motor Vehicles to destroy records of the applications submitted for a license. The department is also prohibited from disclosing any collected information to law enforcement officers without a subpoena or a search warrant.

"We have to send a loud message to a federal administration that continues to vilify the contributions of the very men and women who have built this nation," said Crespo.