Hagan voted to ban licenses, but...

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:12:56 -0400

Kay Hagan voted to make it impossible for illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses.

A recent TV ad from the Democratic Senate candidate's campaign touts her vote for the final version of the 2006 budget, which included a provision tightening standards on licenses.

But the ad leaves out a fair bit of history on that vote.

In 2005 and 2006, Senate Democratic leaders sent legislation to toughen license standards to die in committee, and the budget provision was added by the House of Representatives.

In an earlier vote on the 2001 budget, Hagan supported making it slightly harder for illegal immigrants to get a driver's license by requiring an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.

But that was a substitute for another Republican bill that would have made it impossible that was also sent to committee to die by Senate Democrats.

In other words, Hagan may have ultimately voted to "ban driver's licenses for illegal immigrants," but only after five years of resisting Republican efforts to do so.

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Hagan voted to ban licenses, but...