State Rep. Randy Terrill and State Sen. Cliff Aldridge today (January 28, 2008) praised the state Department of Public Safety for simplifying the process for people to renew expired driver's licenses."The people of Oklahoma do not want the state to issue driver's licenses to illegal aliens," said Aldridge, R-Midwest City. "At the same time, however, citizens do not want to be needlessly inconvenienced. DPS' actions have ensured that we are responding to the will of the people on both counts."
Due to the passage of House Bill 1804, Oklahoma's omnibus immigration reform law, individuals with an expired driver's license must now provide proof of legal presence in the United States - for citizens, typically an original, certified birth certificate - before they can renew an expired driver's license.
As a result, individuals with an expired license have had to obtain a copy of their birth certificate and take it to the Department of Public Safety for verification before obtaining a license at a tag agency.
However, DPS will soon allow tag agents to examine and verify birth certificates onsite, eliminating the hassle created by an initial administrative interpretation of the new law. As a result, most drivers will once again be able to renew a license by visiting just one office.
In February, DPS will begin training tag agents to identify fraudulent birth certificates. (DPS officials will continue to serve as the examiners of all documents other than an original, certified birth certificate ─ including but not limited to passports, certificates of naturalization and visas.)
Aldridge predicted the new system will eliminate the inconvenience faced by the vast majority of Oklahomans who allow their driver's license to expire.
"We've been working with Commissioner Kevin Ward and DPS staff to minimize the burden placed on U.S. citizens while preserving the essential and important purpose behind House Bill 1804," Terrill said. "I sincerely appreciate DPS' efforts to simplify the implementation of House Bill 1804 while also ensuring that illegal aliens cannot obtain a state driver's license."
When House Bill 1804 was debated last year, proponents of the bill wanted to stop illegal aliens from obtaining state identification and prevent the state of Oklahoma from being forced to recognize driver's licenses issued in other states that give IDs to illegal aliens.
The bill was also designed to weed out illegal aliens who had previously obtained an Oklahoma driver's license.
Terrill noted that lawmakers had only three options for addressing the problem: do nothing, which was unacceptable; require everyone seeking to renew a driver's license to provide proof of legal presence, which would be untenable; or split the difference.
Officials decided to target only those individuals who let their license expire as a compromise that should gradually eliminate illegal aliens wrongfully in possession of official ID through attrition.
"DPS' decision strikes the appropriate balance between the rights of citizens and those who are lawfully present in this country and the need to weed out illegal aliens who have fraudulently obtained a driver's license," Terrill said.
"This agreement is just the latest example of our ongoing commitment to monitoring the implementation of House Bill 1804 and, if and when any problems are identified, our pledge to fix them in a way that any burdens placed on citizens are minimized while the integrity and purpose of House Bill 1804 is maintained."
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