California Driver’s License Law Signed.

Obtaining a California driver’s license just got a little bit easier. As reported here [pressdemocrat.com] Gov. Davis signed SB 60 into law. Touted by the media as the Illegal Immigrant License bill; SB 60 (which makes no reference to immigrants at all mind you) would make obtaining a license easier for everyone including illegal immigrants. That is because the bill makes it so a social security number is no longer required to obtain a license in California. What is required is a federal taxpayer identification number, a birth certificate, and another form of identification (passport, foreign driver’s license, etc.).

I think the bill is a mistake. I think obtaining a license should be more difficult not less. I think illegal immigrants are hard working people that do all the crap jobs that stuck up U.S. citizens wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole, but it just seems wrong for the state to legitimize such an illegal act.

That being said; Wow! what a great new source of revenue for the state. Seriously; in January of this year the BCIS (Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, remember there is no more INS it changed to BCIS after Sep. 11th to be under the auspice of Homeland Security) reported [.pdf] that there were an estimated 2.2 million illegal immigrants in California. I personally paid $54 this year to register my vehicle if each one of those 2.2 million people pays the same fee the state can expect 100-200 million dollars in new revenue. Local automobile insurance companies should also see similar increases because of this bill.

The bill doesn’t actually go into effect until the 1st of January next year, and some gubernatorial candidates are already vowing to repeal it if they are elected, so the bill may be dead before it even gets going.