Chapdelaine, 14 Other Leaders Support Driver's License Bill

ARLINGTON, MA — Arlington Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine is one of 15 mayors and city managers in Massachusetts backing The Work and Family Mobility Act, which would allow immigrants without status to qualify for a Massachusetts standard driver's license, according to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.

To qualify, immigrants must present valid proof of identity, date of birth and state residency.

The leaders voiced their support in a letter to the Joint Committee on Transportation, which received it favorably in 2020. It was poised for passage last session, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and has been reintroduced this session.

The bill has since earned more than 100 co-sponsors in the House and Senate, and the Driving Families Forward Coalition supporting the legislation has grown to include more than 270 endorsing organizations, including community, health, faith, labor, business and low enforcement leaders.

It also has a thumbs up from mayors and managers in Amherst, Arlington, Boston, Brockton, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Malden, Medford, Newton, Randolph, Revere, Salem, and Swampscott.

"[T]his bill would provide broad benefits to our municipalities. Our streets will be safer for everyone when all drivers have passed road tests, and vehicles are registered and insured," their letter read in part. "Indeed, many of our policy chiefs support the bill as a public safety tool and agree that it will enable law enforcement to better identify individuals at traffic stops or scenes of an accident."

The bill is currently awaiting a report from the Joint Committee on Transportation, which must be produced by March 4.