Massachusetts House of Representatives Passes Driver’s Licenses For Illegal Aliens
David Jaroslav
State & Local Legislative Manager
FAIR Take | March 2022
After years of opposition from FAIR and others committed to the rule of law, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a bill on February 16 to authorize driver’s licenses for illegal aliens.
The so-called “Family Mobility Act” was introduced by Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) and Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D-Pittsfield) in the beginning of 2021. On June 23, 2021 the Joint Committee on Transportation held a hearing on the bill. FAIR staff submitted written testimony opposing it and many others spoke against it.
After the hearing, the bill languished in committee until February 10 when House Speaker Ronald Mariano (D) suddenly announced it would be brought to the House floor for a vote the following week. This was unexpected since Speaker Mariano was perceived as a moderate who was likely to follow in footsteps of his predecessor, longtime Speaker Robert DeLeo (D-Winthrop). Speaker DeLeo prevented the House from considering bills to grant driver’s licenses for illegal aliens from 2009-2020, his time as Speaker.
The bill as it passed the House would:
https://www.fairus.org/legislation/state-and-local-legislation/illegal-immigration/massachusetts-house-representatives
