MassFiscal Announces Support for Repeal Effort on Driver’s License for Illegal Immigrants

Citizens Should Have Final Say Through the Referendum Process

Boston – Following news of the organization of a new effort to hold a referendum on Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka’s recently passed bill giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance has announced their endorsement of the effort and are encouraging their members to lend their support.

“The legislature’s move, driven by Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, to give driver’s licenses to people in this country illegally resonated like no other issue before with the people of Massachusetts. MassFiscal set a record with the number of people who used our website to contact their legislators opposing this vote. Thousands of people reached out to their state legislators and many individual lawmakers received hundreds of emails from their constituents as a direct result of our advocacy to hold our elected officials accountable,” noted Paul Diego Craney, a spokesman for MassFiscal.

“It’s unfortunate that so many lawmakers chose to ignore the will of their constituents and forced the bill through. Fortunately, the referendum process will give the citizens of the Commonwealth an opportunity to right this wrong, despite Speaker Mariano and Senate President Spilka’s best effort to sidestep the will of their constituents,” noted Craney.

The Fair and Secure MA committee, which organized as the official group championing the referendum, has until August 24 to collect around 41,000 signatures to get the law on the November ballot before it can take effect. Their website is: www.FairAndSecureMA.com. The bill was passed this May over the objections and veto of Governor Charlie Baker, who noted that the bill “significantly increases the risk that noncitizens will be registered to vote,” and “restricts the Registry’s ability to share citizenship information with those entities responsible for ensuring that only citizens register for and vote in our elections.”

MassFiscal also opposes Speaker Mariano and Senate President Spilka’s surtax amendment that will be placed as a ballot question this November and would result in raising the income tax by 80 percent for some high-income earners and small businesses.

Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance advocates for fiscal responsibility, transparency, and accountability in state government and increased economic opportunity for the people of our Commonwealth.