New state license changes meet resistance
by KEATON T. DEPRIEST Cheektowaga Editor

A recent plan by Gov. Eliot Spitzer to allow all New Yorkers the opportunity to apply for driver's licenses without regard to immigration status is causing a stir among state government leaders and officials of local Department of Motor Vehicle offices.

Spitzer unveiled the changes in September and despite opposition from members of the State Assembly, he intends to carry out the equal-opportunity license program.

He said the policy change will enhance anti-fraud measures and make the state's DMV system more secure, while increasing public safety.

"The obligation we have at the state level is to protect the public by keeping our roads safe, preventing crime and supporting counter national terrorism efforts," Spitzer said Friday during a press conference in New York City. "By bringing people out of the shadows and into the system and by implementing new antifraud security measures that improve our ability to prove a person is who they say they are, we will vastly enhance the safety and security of all New Yorkers."

In his plan, changes to the current driver's license policy are to include:

• Applicants will be required to present six points of current valid identification, including a valid passport from a foreign country;

• Passports will be scanned through document authentication machines, similar to those used by U.S. Customs stations;

• All identity documents will be sent through an Identification Verification Unit, eliminating the current over-the-counter process. The Unit will be staffed by investigators working with specially trained clerks to review the documents;

• Photograph comparison technology will enable the DMV to prevent an applicant from creating multiple identities.

• A strict residency requirement will be established to make sure only New York residents obtain a state license.

The first phase of the plan began in September, when approximately 152,000 people who were unable to renew their license under the rules of the old policy were notified of the changes. The relicensing process is set to begin by the end of this year.

The second phase of the policy, which opens the application process to all New Yorkers, should begin in the early half of 2008.

Spitzer said in addition to increased security measures, the amendments to the policy are necessary because it puts public safety at the forefront by striving to eliminate unlicensed drivers.

"The DMV estimates that tens of thousands of undocumented, unlicensed and uninsured drivers are currently on New York's roads, contributing to increased accidents and hit-and-runs, as well as higher auto insurance rates," he said.

People in opposition to his plan argue that it allows illegal aliens to acquire a license.

Erie County Clerk Kathleen Hochul said she disagrees with Spitzer's plan and has taken many steps to fight the new policy.

"To give licenses to people who are not U.S. citizens poses a great security risk to our state and nation," she said.

She said Spitzer's policy changes came without warning to the state's DMV divisions.

"We had no indication that this was going to happen," Hochul said. "We were 100 percent blindsided by this." she has asked the Erie County Legislature to support her opposition and has joined forces with the county attorney's office to research a possible lawsuit against the state.

She said she has been in near-daily contact with other county clerk's across the state who are also opposed to the changes.

Earlier this week, Rensselaer County filed suit against the state mainly on the grounds that the policy changes conflict with state and local laws.

"We have been looking at it rationally and intend to determine the legality of the policy ourselves," Hochul said.

David Swarts, the former Erie County Clerk who is currently the commissioner of the State DMV, said Spitzer's proposal is justified because it ensures every motorist who is fit to drive can prove his or her identity.

"Currently, too many drivers are unlicensed and uninsured simply because they do not have a Social Security number," he said. "Rather than bury our heads in the sand and pretend the problem does not exist, we are choosing to confront it."

e-mail: kdepriest@beenews.com