Legislators in the Maryland General Assembly must come to an agreement today on whether illegal immigrants should be able to have a driver’s license, or face dealing with the matter in a special legislative session.
Prompted by requirements to comply with a federal security law known as Real ID, Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley and lawmakers have pushed to overhaul the state’s current rules for issuing driver’s licenses so that applicants have to prove they are either U.S. citizens or are in the country legally.
Maryland is one of four states that does not have a legal-presence requirement to obtain a driver’s license. But while both chambers have approved legislation that would prevent illegal immigrants from getting a new driver’s license, the House and Senate are divided over whether to allow illegal immigrants who already have a license to renew theirs.
The House measure would create a two-license system — one for those who could prove they are citizens or are in the country legally, and one for those who can’t but already have a state license. The latter set of licenses would not conform to Real ID requirements and couldn’t be used to enter federal buildings or to get through security to board a plane.
The Senate’s version would flat-out prohibit anyone who couldn’t show that he was in the country legally from obtaining a license.
The two chambers have been at a stalemate on the issue for more than two weeks.
O’Malley has said he would sign either version into law, but favors the House’s so-called compromise on the issue. “There’s a certain logic and a certain practical merit to grandfathering in people who have already been issued licenses,” O’Malley said.
Republicans have accused O’Malley of being duplicitous on the issue, and say the governor is pushing for a “two-tiered” system similar to one proposed and then quickly jettisoned by former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
Lawmakers will also finish work on the state’s nearly $14 billion budget today. Helped by $2.5 billion in federal stimulus dollars, lawmakers were able to avoid some of the more drastic cuts that had been anticipated earlier. Still, lawmakers slashed state aid to local governments, including cutting about $162 million for road maintenance.
The House gave final approval to the budget Saturday. The Senate is set to take it up today.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
