Virginia Crossover: Driver’s Licenses, In-State Tuition, Sanctuary, and Voting

By Tanner Bonovitch | FAIR Take | February 2020

The 2020 Virginia General Assembly session has reached its halfway point, called Crossover Day. Crossover is the date by which bills must be passed by one of the Chambers or they are effectively dead.

This session has seen over 1,450 measures “crossover,” with a majority coming from the Democrat caucus.  Virginia legislators have until adjournment on March 7 to pass these bills through both chambers.

Below are bills that have “crossed over” that FAIR is monitoring.

Driver’s Licenses

HB 1211 by Delegate Kathy Tran (D-Springfield)

• llows illegal aliens to receive driver’s licenses without the need for a Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN);
   
• Card states that “federal limits apply”

SB 34  by Senator Scott Surovell (D-East Fairfax)

• Allows illegal aliens to receive a “driver’s privilege card” if they:

1.  show income and deductions from Virginia sources on an individual state income tax return filed in the preceding 12     months; and
    
2.  have car insurance in accordance with Virginia law

• Card states “NOT VALID IDENTIFICATION FOR FEDERAL, VOTING, OR PUBLIC BENEFIT PURPOSES” in conspicuous, bold print

Sanctuary Policies

HB 262 by Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington)

• Forbids state or local law enforcement from asking about the immigration status of anyone who is a:

1.  victim of a crime or the parent/guardian of a juvenile victim;  
    
2.  witness in a criminal investigation or the parent/guardian of a juvenile witness.

SB 491 by Sen. Scott Surovell (D-East Fairfax)/ HB 1150 (Sanctuary) by Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington)

• Changes the responsibility, from intake officer to clerk of the court, for reporting illegal alien juveniles to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
   
• Clerk can only report a juvenile to ICE upon adjudication of delinquency or finding of guilt for a violent felony.

In-State Tuition

SB 935  by Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-Herndon)/HB 1547 by Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington)

• Grants the in-state tuition rate to any student, regardless of immigration status, who:

1.  attended high school in Virginia for a least two years and either graduated or passed a high school equivalency exam;
    
2.  submits evidence that he or she, or if their parent or guardian if they’re are a dependent, has filed Virginia income tax     returns for at least two years prior to enrollment; and
    
3.  enrolls as a an entering student to a public institution of higher education in Virginia.

• Student information may only to be used to determine in-state tuition eligibility

HB 1315 (In-State tuition) by Del. Kaye Kory (D-Falls Church)

• in-state tuition rate regardless of the immigration status of a student’s parents

Voting

SB 65 by Sen. Mamie Locke (D-Hampton)/HB 19 by Del. Joseph Linsey (D-Norfolk)

• Repeals the photo identification requirement to vote
   
• Specifies additional forms of ID that are acceptable, including with or without photos:

1.  voter confirmation documents,
    
2.  a valid US passport,
    
3.  ny photo identification issued by the state or one of its political subdivisions, or the federal government;
    
4.  any valid student ID card from any institution of higher education anywhere in the US;
    
5.  a photo ID card issued by an employer or
    
6.  copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document containing the   name and address of the voter

• If no proof of ID is shown, the voter may certify a statement under felony penalties and still receive a ballot.
   
• If someone does not want to certify a statement, he/she may still cast a provisional ballot.