The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles reported a large spike in demand within the six months after an immigrant driver’s license regulation went into impact this summer season, state transportation officers mentioned Tuesday afternoon.
The registry issued 91,961 new learner’s permits and 54,952 new, first-time driver’s licenses to Massachusetts residents since July 1. That’s when individuals with out lawful proof of presence within the United States might begin making use of for the standard, five-year driver’s license or learner’s allow in the event that they offered at the very least two paperwork proving their id and date of beginning.
The large spike in new learner’s allow issued is a 244% improve and new driver’s license issued is a 120% improve over the identical time interval in 2022, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation mentioned.
The RMV employed greater than 250 entrance line employees and street check examiners, expanded service hours Monday by means of Friday, and opened further street check areas in anticipation of excessive demand after the regulation went into impact, officers there mentioned.
Thousands of Massachusetts residents, no matter their immigration standing, have been capable of entry driver’s licenses which helped “provide access to friends, families, and their communities,” Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt mentioned in an announcement.
“We are especially proud of the language and interpreter assistance provided to applicants, underscoring our commitment to helping all eligible applicants,” Tibbits-Nutt mentioned.
The regulation, which supporters known as the “Work and Family Mobility Act” and drew help from at the very least 55 leaders of native regulation enforcement businesses final yr, was praised as a approach to ensure all drivers within the state are insured and street security is taught to all motorists.
It survived a veto from former Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and a failed Republican-led marketing campaign to overturn the regulation.
Brazilian Worker Center Executive Director Lenita Reason and 32BJ SEIU’s Roxana Rivera, two advocates who pushed for the regulation, mentioned Tuesday that the most important impediment many residents confronted in getting a driver’s license “was the longstanding linkage of driving privileges to immigration status.”
“We were deeply pleased that our governmental partners went beyond our expectations in their openness, availability and willingness to quickly address issues around the successful implementation of the new law that has removed that obstacle, so that our roads can be safer for everyone,” the pair mentioned in an announcement offered by the state Department of Transportation.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”