"Washington -- The House Tuesday tacked on a provision to President Bush's emergency $81.3 billion war spending legislation that would make it all
but illegal for California to issue driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants.
By voice vote, the Republican-led House added the driver's license provision -- and the other immigration security measures it had approved as a
separate bill in February -- to the spending legislation that will help pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The House is expected to approve the war spending bill today and send it to the Senate, where the immigration provisions create a potential clash with
senators under pressure to pass the emergency measure quickly.
The House majority viewed the immigration provisions as national security issues, saying they were recommended by the bipartisan Sept. 11 commission,
but not included in intelligence overhaul enacted last fall because of their controversial nature.
"The goal is straightforward,'' said Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas. "It seeks to prevent another terrorist attack.''
The immigration bill also would make it harder for asylum seekers to succeed in their claims and would waive environmental laws to allow completion of
a 14-mile, three-tier fence along the San Diego-Tijuana border.
The legislation, named the Real ID Act and pushed by Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., would set standards for all
driver's licenses in the country and would require the states to verify that applicants for licenses are U.S. citizens or live in the country
legally. If states didn't comply after three years, their licenses couldn't be used for federal purposes, including boarding airplanes.
The measure carries special meaning for California, where former Gov. Gray Davis' reversal and ultimate decision to support licenses for undocumented
immigrants contributed to his recall in 2003. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger persuaded the Legislature to repeal the law permitting such licenses and
vetoed a compromise bill last September. '
www.sfgate.com.../c/a/2005/03/16/MNGTLBQ0RQ1.DTL
Finally so real reform from inside the beltway, but I understand there is already a challenge from "The Arab league" what do they know we
should?
[edit on 17-3-2005 by DrHoracid]