The History of SB 60 – Driver's licenses for illegal immigrants

SB 60 was a bill introduced by Senator Gil Cedillo that would provide driver's licenses to illegal aliens.  Specifically, the bill:

• Repealed existing law that requires every applicant for an original driver's license or identification card to submit satisfactory proof that the applicant's presence in the United States is authorized under federal law.

• Repealed the law that prohibits the DMV from issuing driver's licenses to individuals who fail to provide proof of citizenship.

• Allowed the use of a federal taxpayer identification number or other number approved by the DMV in lieu of a social security number for driver's license applicants.

• Required the DMV to accept a combination of: Matricula consular cards issued by the government of Mexico, foreign driver's licenses, foreign passports, foreign military identification cards, and foreign birth certificates for applicants for driver's licenses.

SB 60 passed the California Assembly on September 2, 2003 by a vote of 40 to 35.  It then passed the State Senate on September 3, 2003 by a vote of 23 to 15.

Governor Davis happily signed the bill into law.

The Save Our License committee immediately filed a referendum, blocking SB 60 from taking effect.  Over the course of the next 90 days, our volunteers collected 500,000 signatures – enough to force the issue on the ballot.

Following the successful recall of Governor Davis, the legislature made a hasty retreat and repealed SB 60 in January of 2004.