Mayor Hamilton Calls on City Council to Pass Resolution Supporting Driver Cards for Undocumented Indiana Residents

Bloomington, Ind. – Mayor Hamilton will call on the Bloomington City Council at their June 7 meeting to consider and adopt a resolution indicating support for a driver card for undocumented Indiana residents. 

 

Resolution 23-09 expresses support for the Indiana General Assembly to pass legislation creating a Driver Card for Indiana residents who cannot provide proof of lawful status in the United States. In passing this resolution, the Council would join a growing number of elected officials and organizations in Indiana cities and towns, and states throughout the country, who have formally endorsed the concept of a credential that permits undocumented residents to drive lawfully. Prerequisites such as obtaining required training, certification, and insurance must be met before the card can be obtained. 

 

The driving privilege card program in Indiana has received bipartisan support as an effort that supports law enforcement and first responders in addition to those obtaining the cards and the communities in which they live. La Voz Unida is the Indiana non-profit organization dedicated to making progress on this effort. 

 

"La Voz Unida will continue to work for the common good; we work on both sides of the aisle trying to bring peace and harmony where dissension may exist,” said Ed Rodriguez,  Spokesperson for La Voz Unida. “Our travels in Hoosier communities have proven that we are all good people; we just need to join hands.” 

 

"La Voz Unida continuará trabajando por el bien común; trabajamos para todos tratando de traer paz y armonía donde puede haber desacuerdo", dijo Ed Rodríguez, vocero de la Voz Unida. "Nuestras visitas en las comunidades “Hoosier” han demostrado que todos somos buenas personas, solo necesitamos unirnos.”

 

A Driver Card will help undocumented community members safely engage in basic essential activities such as buying groceries, attending school and work, and accessing health care. This will help support Indiana businesses and boost state revenue through fees associated with obtaining the credential. Beyond bringing positive economic and social impacts, an Indiana Driver Card will help ensure that all drivers on Indiana’s roads are trained, certified, insured, and identifiable to law enforcement. Driver Cards could not be used to vote, access federal services, or claim citizenship or lawful residence.

 

“We want community members functioning within the community, not outside of it,” said Mayor John Hamilton. “The passage of Senate Bill 248 would be good for communities, good for the economy, and good for the dignity of our friends and neighbors.” 

 

Learn more about La Voz Unida at: facebook.com/LaVozUnidaPlymouth

Learn more about IN Senate Bill 248 at: https://bton.in/LM38O

 

DRAFT RESOLUTION 23-09

WHEREAS, the safety of all people using Indiana roads should be a priority consideration of elected officials in the State of Indiana; and

WHEREAS, currently, a person who cannot prove lawful status in the United States is unable to obtain an operator’s license in the State of Indiana, and as a result, is unable to purchase car insurance; and

WHEREAS, as a result, many undocumented Indiana residents are likely to be driving on the streets and highways of Indiana without adequate training, certification, or insurance; and

WHEREAS, statewide legislation providing undocumented Indiana residents with a pathway to obtain a Driver Card will encourage undocumented Indiana residents to be trained, certified, and insured; and

WHEREAS, at the present time, similar legislation has passed in eighteen states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico; and

WHEREAS, resolutions supporting legislation creating a Driver Card for undocumented Indiana residents have passed in the councils of the following Indiana cities and towns: Bremen, East Chicago, Elkhart, Evansville, Goshen, Hammond, Ligonier, Logansport, North Manchester, Plymouth, South Bend, Warsaw, and Wabash; and

WHEREAS, a bipartisan group of 48 Indiana mayors have expressed support for such legislation in a 2022 letter to Governor Holcomb and members of the Indiana General Assembly; and 

WHEREAS, the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police, the Insurance Institute of Indiana, and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce have all formally endorsed state Driver Card legislation; and

WHEREAS, such legislation will improve public safety by requiring all undocumented residents desiring to drive legally to pass a written test of knowledge of driving laws and road signs, a vision test, and a driving test; and

WHEREAS, such legislation will promote commerce by permitting undocumented residents desiring to drive legally to support Indiana businesses for their basic needs; and

WHEREAS, by reducing the number of uninsured drivers on the roads, such legislation will help reduce insurance premiums for licensed drivers, who currently pay to cover the costs of accidents involving uninsured drivers; and 

WHEREAS, such legislation will contribute to the tax revenue of the State of Indiana; and

WHEREAS, such legislation will improve public safety and promote positive relations with law enforcement by reducing the fear of traffic stops and by reducing any incentive to leave the scene of an accident; and

WHEREAS, such legislation will enable undocumented residents lawfully to conduct basic and vital activities such as buying groceries, going to school and work, and obtaining medical care; and 

WHEREAS, a Driver Card will provide an easily identifiable and distinguishable identification that will not be valid for voter identification; and

WHEREAS, legislation to establish Driver Cards for undocumented residents was again introduced in 2023 with bipartisan support in both houses of the Indiana General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, the Common Council believes that all Indiana drivers should be trained, certified, and insured in order to promote public safety, a growing economy, and positive relations with law enforcement. 

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BLOOMINGTON, MONROE COUNTY, INDIANA THAT:

Section 1. The Bloomington Common Council hereby endorses and urges the passage of state legislation to provide a pathway for undocumented Indiana residents to be able to obtain a Driver’s Card.

Section 2. The Bloomington Common Council also hereby endorses and urges passages of state legislation to provide prerequisites to obtaining a Driver’s Card such as training, certification, and insurance. 

Section 3.  The Bloomington Common Council urges City residents to support the passage of such legislation by making their opinions known to their state legislators.   

Section 4.  The Bloomington City Clerk is hereby instructed to forward this resolution, upon passage, to both Houses of the Indiana General Assembly.