Gov. Martinez: I will not sign amended driver's license bill
Posted at: 01/27/2012 6:16 PM
| Updated at: 01/27/2012 10:46 PM
By: Stuart Dyson, KOB Eyewitness News 4
New Mexico's Governor said she will not sign the driver’s license bill now that Democrats in the legislature have changed the language to let illegal immigrants keep on getting licenses.
Gov. Susana Martinez vows to keep on fighting.
This was a key issue for the Republican when she won the Governor's race in 2010.
"What they've done is they've actually drafted a sham," said Martinez. "It's still gonna give drivers licenses to illegal immigrants and I won't sign a bill that does that."
Thursday night, Democrats in the majority on the House Labor Committee gutted the Governor's driver’s license bill.
They amended it to allow two year licenses with residency requirements and increased penalties for fraud.
There's talk of adding finger prints.
"It would put a fingerprint on a driver’s license when there's not even a database, and still give a drivers license for two years," Martinez said. "It's still a sham and not what New Mexicans want. I won't sign that."
The Governor thinks there's a chance to revive her original bill, even though the 30-day legislative session is about half over.
"I think we have the votes in both the House and the Senate," Martinez said. "I'm going to be very optimistic. If they stop playing politics and start doing the people's business, we have the votes in both places to have the law repealed and New Mexico will be the safer for it."
Since the law went into effect in 2003, the state has issued more than 90,000 licenses to foreigners.
How many are here illegally is unknown, because the state does not ask about immigration status on the application form.
If the Governor does not win on this issue, lawmakers in both parties expect her to make it a big issue in the 2012 election, and revive it for next year's 60-day legislative session.
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