With illegal immigration a hot-button issue in the U.S. Senate race, Dome has been looking at state Sen. Kay Hagan's record.
Although a number of bills have been filed in the legislature on the issue in recent years, the Senate's Democratic leadership has sent most to die in committee, so there are not many votes on record.
But one stands out. In 2006, the legislature voted to make it impossible for illegal immigrants to renew their driver's licenses.
Advocates and law enforcement officials say that many of the estimated 300,000 illegal immigrants in the state are now driving without licenses, failing to register cars or get auto insurance.
Hagan voted for the restrictions, although the bill took a circuitous path through the legislature.
More after the jump.
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In 2005 and 2006, Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger filed two bills that would toughen the requirements for North Carolina driver's licenses.
As in other cases, Senate leaders sent the bills to committee, where they died.
But an unrelated technical bill passed by the Senate was modified by the House in the 2006 session to include essentially the same provisions as Berger's bills, along with several other issues.
Berger told Dome that Republican legislators had "been hammering" Democrats on the driver's license issue in an election year. Putting the provision in a technical bill was a way to respond without giving him credit for his bills, he argued.
Because the technical bill had been changed, the Senate had to vote again to concur. In a 47-0 vote, the Senate rejected the bill, sending it to a conference committee, which works to reconcile the two versions of the bill. The Senate then passed the reworked bill 41-6, with Hagan voting in favor.
Berger said the initial rejection of the bill was routine, since legislators prefer to let a conference committee settle differences.
The Hagan campaign noted that she voted for the bill but had no other comment. Dome could not find any newspaper interviews with Hagan on the issue from 2006.
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Re: Hagan's vote on driver's licenses
But first Hagan voted to give Illegals Driver's Licenses. In fact she did it two weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. See SB 1005 section 27.10A in the 2001-2002 session. So now she's John Kerry, I voted for it before I voted against it. Just what North Carolina needs.
DMV/PROOF OF RESIDENCY/SOCIAL SECURITY #/ITIN
SECTION 27.10A.(a) G.S. 20‑7(b1) reads as rewritten:
"(b1) Application. – To obtain an identification card, learners permit, or drivers license from the Division, a person must shall complete an application form provided by the Division, present at least two forms of identification approved by the Commissioner, be a resident of this State, and demonstrate his or her physical and mental ability to drive safely a motor vehicle included in the class of license for which the person has applied. At least one of the forms of identification shall indicate the applicant's residence address. The Division may copy the identification presented or hold it for a brief period of time to verify its authenticity. To obtain an endorsement, a person must shall demonstrate his or her physical and mental ability to drive safely the type of motor vehicle for which the endorsement is required.
The application form must shall request all of the following information, and it must shall contain the disclosures concerning the request for an applicant's social security number required by section 7 of the federal Privacy Act of 1974, Pub. L. No. 93‑579:
(1) The applicant's full name.
(2) The applicant's mailing address and residence address.
(3) A physical description of the applicant, including the applicant's sex, height, eye color, and hair color.
(4) The applicant's date of birth.
(5) The applicant's valid social security number. The Division shall not issue a license to an applicant who fails to provide the applicant's social security number.
(6) The applicant's signature.
If an applicant does not have a valid social security number and is ineligible to obtain one, the applicant shall swear to or affirm that fact under penalty of perjury. In such case, the applicant may provide a valid Individual Taxpayer Identification Number issued by the Internal Revenue Service to that person.
The Division shall not issue an identification card, learners permit, or drivers license to an applicant who fails to provide either the applicant's valid social security number or the applicant's valid Individual Taxpayer Identification Number."
SECTION 27.10A.(b) G.S. 20‑7 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(b2) The Division shall adopt rules implementing the provisions of subsection (b1) of this section with respect to proof of residency in this State. Those rules shall ensure that applicants submit verified or verifiable residency and address information that can be reasonably considered to be valid and that is provided on any of the following:
(1) A document issued by an agency of the United States or by the government of another nation.
(2) A document issued by another state.
(3) A document issued by the State of North Carolina, or a political subdivision of this State. This includes an agency or instrumentality of this State.
(4) A preprinted bank or other corporate statement.
(5) A preprinted business letterhead.
(6) Any other document deemed reliable by the Division."
SECTION 27.10A.(c) G.S. 20‑7 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(b3) Examples of documents that are reasonably reliable indicators of residency include, but are not limited to, any of the following:
(1) A pay stub with the payee's address.
(2) A utility bill showing the address of the applicant‑payor.
(3) A contract for an apartment, house, modular unit, or manufactured home with a North Carolina address signed by the applicant.
(4) A receipt for personal property taxes paid.
(5) A receipt for real property taxes paid to a North Carolina locality.
(6) A current automobile insurance policy issued to the applicant and showing the applicant's address.
(7) A monthly or quarterly financial statement from a North Carolina regulated financial institution.
(8) A matricula consular or substantially similar document issued by the Mexican Consulate for North Carolina.
(9) A document similar to that described in subsection (8) of this section, issued by the consulate or embassy of another country. This subdivision only applies if the Division has consulted with the United State Department of State and is satisfied with the reliability of such document."