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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 19, 2015 01:47 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Daylin Leach |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | The Welcome to Pennsylvania Immigration Act |
| In the near future I am going to be introducing the “Welcome to Pennsylvania Immigration Act of 2015.” As you know, President Barack Obama recently announced the Immigration Accountability Executive Actions. Among other benefits, the actions will protect approximately four million undocumented immigrants from deportation. Of those four million, most are the parents of citizen-children, children who were brought to the United States by their parents, and those who have lived in the United States without a criminal record for more than five years. Now that these immigrants can live openly here in the United States, we have to confront the fact that our current legal protocol makes it difficult for them to live productive lives and presents public safety issues that must be addressed immediately. I am introducing this legislation to address some of these pressing issues. Specifically, my bill would do the following: 1. Allow an immigrant covered under the President’s executive order to obtain a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license. This is important for a number of reasons. First, obtaining a valid government ID enables an immigrant to do things like cash a check and gain entrance to secured buildings. Perhaps most importantly, the ID enables an immigrant to drive, which in turn provides him or her with opportunities to work, contribute to society, and pay taxes. There are benefits for the rest of us, too. Allowing non-deportable immigrants to get a driver’s license ensures that those driving on our roads have studied our traffic laws and passed a driving test. Further, it enables them to purchase automobile insurance. These public safety measures are good for all Pennsylvanians. 2. Allow an immigrant covered under the President’s executive order to attend Pennsylvania state schools at in-state tuition rates. If students are going to be living here for years, or decades, or even permanently, common sense dictates that we should allow them to obtain a good education and reach their highest potential. This measure allows them to use their worth ethic and passion to learn skills that they can use to earn an income (on which they pay taxes) and contribute to our society. 3. Prohibit employers from discriminating against an immigrant covered under the President’s executive order. As I noted above, these immigrants will be living here for the foreseeable future. We want them to work just like the rest of us, and while they are working we want them to be treated just like the rest of us. This measure would require those covered by President Obama’s executive order to be treated the same as fully documented immigrants under the law. While President Obama’s order was a federal action, it requires state action to maximize the positive benefits that immigration has on our society. If you are interested, please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation. If you have questions about this legislation, please contact my Legislative Director, Jon Tew at jtew@pasenate.com or 610-768-4200. |
Introduced as SB697