Bill would allow undocumented immigrants to receive driver's licenses

New Jersey Democrats are pushing a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license in the Garden State. 

The bill's sponsor, Assemblywoman Annette Quijano of Elizabeth, said the bill is for anyone who needs it.

"This bill doesn't only address Hispanics or Latinos in the state of New Jersey," said Quijano, a Democrat, at her office on Jefferson Avenue.  "This is for every individual that is undocumented in the state of New Jersey.  So this is a safety issue -- and I'd want to protect your family as well as my family."

Nearly a dozen other states including Connecticut, Vermont, and Maryland have already voted in such a measure.

But opponents of the bill, including Republican Assemblyman Anthony Bucco Jr., see it as a free pass for illegal immigrants and a possible security issue. 

"Are we now going to have to train the TSA agents to learn the difference between a resident's driver's license and one of these driver's licenses for an illegal alien?" asked Bucco, reached on the phone from Randolph.  "It just doesn't make sense.  Again I think my colleagues miss the point."

The NJ Motor Vehicle Commission currently requires six points of identification to obtain a license, and that won't change, according to the bill, which calls for a second hearing for people who don't have the documentation to prove themselves. 

Quijano also believes the additional fees could be an economic engine.

Governor Christie has said he would not sign an earlier version of the bill, which will be debated in committee on Monday at the Statehouse.