Pennsylvania bill would make it easier for undocumented residents get state ID or driver's license
HARRISBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- There is a bill making its way through the Pennsylvania state House right now that is meant to help undocumented residents of the commonwealth get either a state ID or a state driver's license.
House Bill 769 was authored by Democratic Rep. Danilo Burgos, who represents District 197, which is a portion of Philadelphia County.
He says that here in Pennsylvania, pre-Sept. 11, 2001, if you were undocumented but had an I-10 form, you were able to obtain a state ID or driver's license. Post 9/11, the federal laws changed and now it is up for the states to figure out how to help get a license for undocumented people who are here paying taxes.
"This will help provide safer streets because we will have people that are driving that will also be able to buy insurance," said Burgos. "Sometimes they are driving, and they don't have vehicle insurance because they are not allowed to purchase any. But under federal guidelines, they can pay taxes and they can buy a home, they can get a business loan with an I-10, but in Pennsylvania, we cannot provide them with a driver's license or ID. And that's what this bill is looking to do. It's so that people who are here undocumented can have some peace of mind."
New York, Delaware and Maryland all have similar bills already on their books. One immigrant group in Pennsylvania that is advocating for the passage of this bill here in the Commonwealth is the Filipino American community.
Leilani Mears, the president of the Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh, says this bill is about mobility for her community and helping people who are here as a student or on a family visa be able to do fundamental things like drive to work or a doctor's appointment.
And like Burgos, she says it really comes down to safety.
"There is a lot involved with getting a driver's license," Mears. "You need to have drivers ed, you need to have exams, you need to have eye exams, you need to have insurance. If you have someone that is not allowed to go through that system or go through that process and maybe they are driving illegally, it's dangerous."
Mears also says that Bill 769 will not only add to public safety, but it will mean more money coming into the state.
"You are generating revenue for the state," said Mears. "Because then you are getting these processing fees, you are buying vehicles, you are buying insurance. It's millions. It's millions of dollars in revenue."
Both Mears and Burgos are hopeful that this bill will come out of committee soon, but they both agree that little will likely be done with this bill until after the election in the fall.
