Title
Dept/ Agency: Offices of Municipal Council/City Clerk
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Urging/Supporting Legislation
Purpose: Urging the State Legislature to Grant Access to Driver's Licenses to Undocumented New Jersey Residents and the Governor to Sign the Legislation
Additional Information:
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WHEREAS, the Municipal Council of the City of Newark support the economic health, cultural diversity, and public safety of the City of Newark; and
WHEREAS, Municipal Council recognizes the fundamental importance of all of our residents' ability to participate in civic life, ensure the health and safety of their families, and to move freely across this State; and
WHEREAS, New Jersey law currently prohibits undocumented residents from obtaining a driver's license; and
WHEREAS, other states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, Vermont, Washington, and Utah, as well as Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico do not prohibit access to driver's licenses based on immigration status; and
WHEREAS, the safety of the City of Newark's roads would be enhanced if all residents of appropriate driving age were tested, trained, licensed, and insured, regardless of immigration status; and
WHEREAS, The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has documented that car crashes rank among the leading causes of death in the United States and that approximately one in five fatal crashes in the United States involve an unlicensed or invalidly licensed driver; and
WHEREAS, New Jersey would become safer with fewer uninsured and unlicensed drivers on the road, resulting in a predicted decrease in fatal traffic accidents and fewer hit-and-run crimes; and
WHEREAS, the public safety of the City of Newark would be enhanced by helping bring immigrant communities out of the shadows to participate more fully in civic life, building trust and cooperation between immigrant c...
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