Connect with us

Massachusetts

Massachusetts lawmakers send Baker a bill allowing driver’s licenses for undocumented people – The Boston Globe

Published

on

Massachusetts lawmakers send Baker a bill allowing driver’s licenses for undocumented people – The Boston Globe


The suggestion has prompted pushback from Democrats, together with Secretary of State William F. Galvin, the state’s high elections official, who’s argued that “nothing may very well be farther from the reality.”

The invoice’s passage, after years of failed advocacy framing the difficulty as one in every of social justice, got here after proponents tightened its language to attract extra assist from regulation enforcement. The invoice has been backed by nearly all of the state’s sheriffs and district attorneys, in addition to the Massachusetts Main Metropolis Chiefs of Police.

Ought to the invoice turn into regulation, individuals with out authorized immigration standing may receive a license by offering two paperwork that show their id, similar to a international passport and a start certificates or a consular identification card and state marriage certificates or divorce decree.

Thursday’s votes, whereas essential, weren’t stunning. Each chambers had beforehand handed related variations of the laws this yr, every time by veto-proof margins and within the Senate’s case, by the very same depend.

Advertisement

Home and Senate officers ironed out minor variations between the 2 variations final week, and Democratic leaders sought to guarantee their colleagues Thursday that provisions they earlier supported had been nonetheless intact, together with the requirement that individuals looking for licenses present at the least two different kinds of documentation.

“That public security normal is the touchstone for this invoice,” state Consultant William M. Straus, the Home chairman of the transportation committee, stated from the Home ground.

The proposal would influence roughly 250,000 undocumented individuals dwelling in Massachusetts, and, its supporters contend, the tens of millions they share the roads with, by assuring extra drivers are each educated and in a position to get insurance coverage.

Proponents have additionally stated the invoice is essential to permitting immigrant dad and mom, together with these with kids born in america, to drive them to physician appointments or faculty with out worry of being pulled over for small infractions and being detained due to their immigration standing.

Sixteen different states and the District of Columbia already enable undocumented individuals to obtain driver’s licenses, in response to the Nationwide Convention of State Legislatures. The brand new ID necessities would take impact on July 1, 2023.

Advertisement

Massachusetts residents appeared cut up on the difficulty, in response to Suffolk College/Boston Globe. A slender plurality of these surveyed — 47 % — stated they oppose such laws, whereas 46 % assist it, the ballot discovered.

Baker, a longtime opponent to the idea, stated this month he believes passage of the invoice may spur “enormous numbers of provisional votes,” arguing it’s going to then make it tougher for individuals to determine “who really received elections.”

The Democratic-led Senate this month had rejected amendments from Republican members that may create a brand new license sort with totally different necessities and require that the license to say “not eligible to vote” written in “daring textual content.”

It’s towards the regulation for noncitizens to vote in state and federal elections. The invoice additionally requires the Registry of Motor Autos should “guarantee” noncitizens wouldn’t be routinely registered underneath a present state regulation that registers these of voting age who search driver’s license.

Baker has additionally raised issues that whereas these with out authorized immigration standing wouldn’t be issued a so-called REAL ID — which subsequent yr will turn into the one sort of license accepted to board US flights — there could be little differentiating the licenses they obtain and normal licenses issued to US residents by the state.

Advertisement

“This license we’re speaking about will not be a privilege-to-drive card, which is what they’ve in a bunch of different states. It seems precisely like a Massachusetts driver’s license,” Baker stated throughout a March look on GBH’s Boston Public Radio. “You possibly can’t inform the distinction between this and a daily one.”

Help for the invoice has largely fallen alongside partisan strains, with a handful of Democrats in every chamber becoming a member of Republicans in voting towards it.

Each Democrats working for governor, Legal professional Normal Maura Healey and state Senator Sonia Sonia Chang-Díaz, have supported the invoice, whereas the Republican gubernatorial candidates — former state lawmaker Geoff Diehl and businessman Chris Doughty — have every spoken towards it.

Diehl stated Thursday that if he had been governor, he would “flatly veto” the invoice and warned it will “threaten the integrity of our elections.” Diehl has additionally beforehand echoed former president Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was rigged.

“That is exactly the ill-advised radical progressive agenda that I’m campaigning towards,” Diehl stated.

Advertisement

Matt Stout might be reached at matt.stout@globe.com. Comply with him on Twitter @mattpstout.





Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Massachusetts

2 of the largest fairs in North America are in Massachusetts

Published

on

2 of the largest fairs in North America are in Massachusetts


Travel

One saw record-breaking attendance in 2024.

Children on a ride at The Big E.

If you attended The Big E or the Topsfield Fair this past fall, you were in good company.


  • These New England hotels, restaurants, and more are ‘must visit spots’ in 2025, according to USA Today readers

    Advertisement

Both Massachusetts fairs ranked among the top 50 fairs in the U.S. and Canada in 2024, according to Carnival Warehouse. The list was ranked by attendance.

“2024 contained very positive indicators that North Americans have rekindled their romance for midways, outdoor shows, agricultural programming and food-on-a-stick,” wrote Carnival Warehouse on its website. “Most fairs saw increases over last year’s attendance, only 12 top-50 fairs saw decreases, most of which were nominal and all of which were due to weather.”

The Big E (the Eastern States Exposition) in Springfield ranked No. 4 with an all-time total attendance record of more than 1.6 million visitors. Seven other daily attendance records were also set this year at The Big E, including an all-time single day attendance record of 178,608 visitors on Sept. 21. The Topsfield Fair, at No. 40, saw 418,170 visitors.

Running since 1916, The Big E is New England’s biggest fair. The fair brought live musical acts, carnival rides, agricultural competitions, and food vendors this past September. All six New England states are famously represented on its grounds.

The Topsfield Fair, America’s oldest agricultural fair (running for more than 200 years), featured carnival rides, food, live music, rodeos, art shows, exhibits, and nearly 300 vendors this past October.

Advertisement

For those looking to help boost attendance in 2025, this year’s fair dates are Sept. 12-28 for The Big E and Oct. 3-13 for the Topsfield Fair.

North America’s No. 1 fair in 2024 is the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which saw 2.5 million visitors.

Check out the top 50 fairs in the U.S. and Canada in 2024.

Profile image for Kristi Palma

Kristi Palma

Culture writer

 

Kristi Palma is a culture writer for Boston.com, focusing on New England travel. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Massachusetts

‘Lives are on the line': Mass. native living in Calif. describes wildfires

Published

on

‘Lives are on the line': Mass. native living in Calif. describes wildfires


As wildfires continue to spread through Los Angeles County, some from Massachusetts now living in California are faced with the likelihood of evacuations.

“Our bags are packed and we’re ready to go somewhere else if we have to,” said Justin Bitensky.

The native of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, now lives in Calabasas, a city impacted by the wildfires.

“As a dad and a husband, it definitely hits a little different,” he said.

Advertisement

According to Bitensky, 70mph winds whipped through his neighborhood Tuesday night.

Since then, his family has been without power.

“At this point, everyone kind of knows someone who has been evacuated, or their home has burned down, or both,” he explained. “There’s almost no one who hasn’t been affected.”

The mortgage broker added that his family is waiting to see which roads remain open if evacuations do come to fruition.

“Lives are on the line, homes are on the line, people’s businesses are on the line,” Bitensky said. “I don’t think it can be understated how serious it is.”

Advertisement

At Boston’s Logan Airport Wednesday, passengers who flew in from LA described the inferno from the sky.

“You could look out the window and see the flames burning,” explained Amy Aldrich of western Massachusetts. “You could see the black smoke. We could smell it. My daughter and I smelled it and said, ‘That smells like wildfire smoke.’”

“A lot of people got on planes to start heading kind of west and all,” said Cam Mahseni of Boston. “A buddy of mine, Chris, is in Pasadena, and he had to kind of evacuate, and a power line went down, too, outside his house.”

“From the highway, we saw the fire and the big smoke,” another passenger added. “It’s like a movie.”

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Massachusetts

MBTA Communities Law is constitutional, Massachusetts SJC rules

Published

on

MBTA Communities Law is constitutional, Massachusetts SJC rules


MBTA Communities Law is constitutional, Massachusetts SJC rules – CBS Boston

Watch CBS News


The controversial​ MBTA Communities Law is constitutional, the high court ruled, but changes are needed. WBZ-TV’s Tiffany Chan reports.

Advertisement

Be the first to know

Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.




Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending