Commentary: Senator Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-15-Bernalillo) and Senator George Muñoz (D-4- Cibola, McKinley and San Juan) have introduced a driver’s license bill, SB 174, that would make New Mexico REAL ID compliant. The bill is similar to the bipartisan Smith-Ingle bill (SB 653 of the 2015 Session) that passed the Senate 35 to 5 with strong Republican support during the 2015 Legislative Session.
“This is strong compromise legislation that will make us compliant with federal law, and will keep our streets safe,” said Senator Ivey-Soto. “Passage of this legislation will allow us to move on to focus on the budget, creating jobs and improving education in New Mexico.”
The Ivey-Soto and Muñoz bill creates a two-tiered system that gets undocumented immigrants residing in the state a way to drive legally, and also allows legal resident New Mexicans the choice of whether they want a REAL ID compliant driver’s license or not. New Mexicans who want to renew their ID by mail, or do not want their birth certificate, Social Security number, address verification documents and high resolution photographs to be stored in a national data base that can be accessed by employees at all motor vehicle offices throughout the country would have the option to obtain a standard license.
“It is time to solve this problem with a true compromise that eliminates the uncertainty many New Mexicans feel,” said Senator Muñoz. “This is a 30-day budget session and we need to focus on passing a budget that focuses on the badly needed job growth New Mexico needs.”