EDITORIAL
The Illinois General Assembly is now considering HB 1100, the Roadway Safety and Mandatory Insurance Act, that would authorize a driving certificate to the approximately 250,000 unlicensed immigrant motorist in Illinois. A researched report by the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) found that the unlicensed immigrants are responsible for $635 million in costs due to collisions.“If even half of all unlicensed immigrant motorists got certificates and insurance, Illinois drivers would save more than $45 a year on each policy.” The report said. “If 75 percent got certificates and insurance, each motorist would save $83 per policy.”Republican State Representative
Paul Froehlich wrote on a blog at the Illinois review that he supports the bill because the current laws make the roads unsafe for everyone.“The driver certificate will address that safety problem by reducing the number of drivers who have not passed the driving test and who lack insurance. HB1100 requires everyone who gets a driver certificate to prove they have insurance, but the bill does not change anyone’s legal status in this country,” he said.
Former Ill.Governor Jim Edgar, and current Chicago mayor Richard Daley, are among a list of elected officials who support the bill. Current Ill. Governor Rob Blagojevich has said that he would sign the bill if passed.
The Illinois Sheriffs Association, Illinois State Police are among the notable 19 law enforcements agencies that have already endorsed the bill. On the local level, East Moline Police Chief Victor Moreno also supports the bill.
“I think there are definite benefits to the bill,” he said. “Mainly one of the issues that we have in policing is identification, for getting a good ID of a person, and by them having a certificate and insurance, it allows them that opportunity because normally if they can’t get a driver’s license they can’t get insurance.”
Moreno also added that the local police do not enforce the immigration law.
“Immigration law is enforced by immigration officers and one of the things people don’t understand is that in order to enforce immigration law, people have to be specially trained,” he said. “Local police is not trained to do this and doesn’t take any action solely because they’re undocumented.”
The Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations (Lawyers) endorse it as well. The Professional Independent Insurance Agents of Ill. and the Illinois Insurance Association are among the notable businesses associations that support the bill. The Illinois AFL-CIO is the most notable of the seven labor unions that also support HB1100.
This bill passed the Illinois State House of Representatives barely 60-56. The bill was then sent to the Illinois State Senate and made it out of the Executive Committee with a 7-5 vote in favor of the bill. HB 1100 is now on its second calendar reading.
The bill which can be found in its original format online at (http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=&SessionId=51&GA=95&DocTypeId=HB&DocNum=1100&GAID=9&LegID=28896&SpecSess=&Session=). The bill does not grant a license but allows everyone in the state to drive legally and purchase insurance. No special privileges would be granted and in fact, would allow everyone to be subject to the same traffic laws and tickets.
Most politicians want to be reelected and listen to what the people want. To contact you fellow state senator about the bill that would give a certificate to the unlicensed and the uninsured, please call the following:
Illinois State Senators Phone Numbers in the Hola America Illinois region
Quad Cities- Sen. Mike Jacobs (D) (217) 782-5957 (309) 797-0001
Galesburg and Monmouth- Sen. Dale Risinger (R) (217) 782-1982, (309) 693-4921
Sterling- Sen. Todd Sieben (R) (217) 782-0180 (309) 944-5691
Beardstown- Sen. John Sullivan (D) (217) 782-2479 (217) 222-2295