Hamden, CT House Approves Driver's Licenses for Illegal Immigrants

Amid reported political rancor, the state House in the wee hours of the morning today agreed that undocumented immigrants can get a Connecticut driver's license. 

Hamden's three state representatives, Democrats Brendan Sharkey, Michael C. D'Agostino and Gary Holder-Winfield, voted for the bill. Sharkey, who serves as Speaker of the House, said this bill will make Connecticut safer.

“There is a stark contrast here,” Sharkey said in a press release sent out early this morning. “There are 54,000 untrained, unlicensed and uninsured drivers on our roads. We believe we should deal with this reality now, while those opposed simply want another study. ” 

As the sun was rising, the House voted 74 to 55 on the measure,according to the Connecticut Mirror website.  Most voting in favor of the bill were Democrats while Republicans largely opposed the measure. 

“We are talking about people who contribute to our communities and our economy every day,” Sharkey said in the release. “They are our neighbors, our fellow taxpayers, and our friends.”

Earlier in the day the House voted 132-0 in favor of a bill that would limit how state and local police officers can hold illegal immigrants for deportation, the website reports. 

The Senate, where Democrats hold a clear majority, votes next on both bills. If they pass, and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signs them into law, Connecticut would join a small number of states to allow licenses to undocumented immigrants. Malloy has said he supports the license measure. 

The state's Office of Legislative Research estimates that 54,000 immigrants could obtain licenses under the bill over the next three years, the Mirror reports.