Lt. Gov. Dan Forest's opposition to giving drivers licenses to illegal aliens helped kill a bad bill | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This article originally appeared in the Beaufort Observer.

    We reported Tuesday (7-16-13) about the House effectively killing HB 786. That bill would have given drivers licenses to illegal aliens, among a long list of "comprehensive immigration reform" measures. It was sponsored by Reps. Harry Warren, R-Rowan; Jeff Collins, R-Nash; Jonathan Jordan, R-Watauga; and Brian Brown of neighboring Pitt. The bill had been supported by House Speaker Thom Tillis.

    We've now learned more about what some report happened. Here's what we've been told.

    It seems that when 786 was calendared on July 11 the assumption was that it would pass because the Leadership was behind it. When it came up on the 15th they still expected it to pass but things had changed. Realizing that it would be defeated, Rep. Brown offered an amendment to direct the Department of Public Safety to "study" the issues. That effectively killed the bill, at least in the short-term. The amendment passed on 7-16-13 by a vote of 106-5 with the proponents and opponents coming to agreement to kick the can down the road.

    So we made some inquires to ask what happened to change the vote. The answer we got was: Dan Forest.
President of the NC Senate, Lt. Governor Dan Forest, runs the meeting on May 22, 2013. The upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly is a dark hall which makes the taking of a picture from the balcony, without a tripod, most difficult, however ... : Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage    Click on the image to expand to as much as 1000 pixels wide.
    The Lieutenant Governor came out in opposition to the issuing of drivers licenses to illegal aliens. As word spread, Forest submitted a letter to the Winston Salem Journal opposing the issuance of licenses to illegal aliens. You can read Forest's letter by clicking here.

    Commentary

    We commend Lt. Governor Forest for his leadership on this issue. He stepped up at the right time and helped bring some common sense to the issue. Thank you Mr. Lt. Governor.