Rep. Marra Objects to “Drive Only” License Redesign

The governor’s controversial proposal to force the DMV to redesign Connecticut’s “drive only” licenses for undocumented residents to be indistinguishable from licenses issued to US Citizens came before the Transportation Committee for a public hearing yesterday.

In Connecticut law, undocumented residents can obtain a “drive only” license which allows these residents access to better transportation opportunities for themselves and their families.  This has been a real help for this community.  During original implementation of this law, the legislation specifically prohibited these “drive only” licenses from being used as a federal ID, or to vote.

Unfortunately, the governor’s proposed redesign will remove the words “drive only” and “not for federal identification” from the card, and specifically prevents the DMV from including ANY language that indicates the identification cannot be used to vote.  Why?  Because undocumented Connecticut residents may not be able to drive in other states.

During the hearing, I asked Representative Perillo whether changes to Connecticut’s license would alter the laws of another state.  You can watch the brief exchange below.