Rep. Case blasts vote to allow illegal immigrants to obtain drivers licenses

HARTFORD – State Rep. Jay Case, R-Winchester, stayed until the bitter end of a seven-hour debate to watch the House approve a measure allowing illegal immigrants to obtain Connecticut drivers licenses, passing the bill by a 74-55 vote.

Rep. Case, a member of the Appropriations, Energy & Technology, Environment and Human Services committees, left after the 5:48 a.m. vote in frustration because of the Democratic majority’s habit in overstepping the democratic process.

“It’s frustrating,” Rep. Case said early Thursday morning. “Everything from the way they handled the bill to the expense of the proposal is a complete disservice to Connecticut taxpayers. The one-party rule in the state makes my colleagues on the other side of the aisle believe they can push through whatever they want, whenever they want, and not have to worry about the political implications of it. I hope our residents are paying attention, because the Democratic majority isn’t listening to them.”

A Quinnipiac Poll from mid-March shows that 65 percent of state residents oppose illegal immigrants being able to obtain drivers licenses. Despite the startling numbers, all but eight Democrats joined the entire House Republican caucus in voting against the bill.

The bill will require additional administrative costs to the already strained state budget. With two weeks left in the legislative session, a state statute-mandated biennium budget has yet to hit the House floor for discussion, but the Democrats use bills like this to continue spending, Rep. Case said.

“This bill, if it would have been better thought out and vetted, could have been a bipartisan measure. But the majority took a national discussion and jumped to conclusions. Meaningful conversation and forthright deliberation was needed, but they rammed through a poorly-constructed, expensive bill,” Rep. Case said. “I’m not sure the voters of Connecticut can handle much more of this.”