ADOPTED - FEBRUARY 12, 2002

Agenda Item No. 18

Introduced by the Administrative Services/Personnel Committee of the:

INGHAM COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

RESOLUTION OPPOSING HB 5497 TO PROHIBIT THE ISSUANCE OF DRIVER'S LICENSES TO ILLEGAL ALIENS AND SB 931 TO PROHIBIT THE ISSUANCE OF STATE IDENTIFICATION CARDS TO ILLEGAL ALIENS

RESOLUTION #02-34

WHEREAS, HB 5497, approved by the Michigan House Transportation Committee on January 30, 2002, prohibits the issuance of driver's licenses to illegal aliens and would also provide that a legal alien's driver's license expire on the same day that their presence in the United States becomes unlawful; and

WHEREAS, identifying illegal aliens based on government issued visas is a difficult task, this legislation calls on employees of the Secretary of State's branch offices to alert INS of all suspected illegal aliens, without proper training and information these employees will experience difficulty in trying to determine an illegal alien from a legal alien; and

WHEREAS, Michigan farmers already experience difficulty in finding enough workers for their farms, immigrant workers tend to move where they can find work and where they can live without intimidation from the government, HB 5497 will drive away immigrant labor for our farms, causing severe problems for the State's agricultural business; and

WHEREAS, Senate Bill 931, introduced by Senator Al Sanborn would prohibit the issuance of State identification cards to illegal aliens; and

WHEREAS, the issuance of driver's licenses and State identification cards is the best tracking system available to assist our Friend of the Court personnel in their child support enforcement efforts; and

WHEREAS, HB 5497 and SB 931 would endanger the safety of the average driver by forcing immigrants to drive without a driver's license, thus without insurance coverage, which in the event of an accident could result in an increase in indigent health care costs; and

WHEREAS, HB 5497 and SB 931 will encourage racial profiling and add burden on local law enforcement by creating a new class of criminals at a time when County jails are already overcrowded; and

WHEREAS, HB 5497 and SB 931 will also cripple the ability of law enforcement officers to solve crimes by encouraging immigrants to live in isolation and avoid law enforcement personnel; and

WHEREAS, in this time of deep budget cuts, HB 5497 and SB 931 impose needless increased financial burden on the State in an area where the federal government has clear jurisdictional authority; and

WHEREAS, HB 5497 and SB 931 are an ineffective and financially irresponsible knee jerk reaction to the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

ADOPTED - FEBRUARY 12, 2002

Agenda Item No. 18

RESOLUTION #02-34

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Ingham County Board of Commissioners hereby oppose HB 5497 prohibiting the issuance of driver's licenses to illegal aliens and SB 931 to prohibit the issuance of State identification cards to illegal aliens.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Board of Commissioners believe that this legislation will have a negative impact on the agricultural economy of Ingham County and Michigan as a whole, which is heavily dependent on migrant or immigrant labor all of which contribute to our economy by paying state and federal taxes on wages, which require them to have social security card.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the County Clerk forward copies of this resolution to House and Senate members, Governor Engler, the Attorney General, Secretary of State, Mayor Hollister, Lansing City Council and the other 82 counties within the State of Michigan.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES/PERSONNEL COMMITTEE: Yeas: Swope, Lynch, De Leon, Celentino Nays: Severino Absent: None Approved 2/5/02