House Approves License Bill For Illegal Immigrants; Local State Reps. Split in Vote

By Associate Regional Editor Eileen McNamara

Amid reported political rancor, the state House in the wee hours of the morning today agreed that undocumented immigrants can get a Connecticut driver's license. 

As the sun was rising, the House voted 74 to 55 on the measure,according to the Connecticut Mirror website. Most voting in favor of the bill were Democrats while Republicans largely opposed the measure. 

The votes among lawmakers representing East Haddam, Haddam and Killingworth were split. Republican Rep. Melissa Ziobron, who represents East Haddam, voted against the bill according to the CGA website. Killingworth Democratic Rep. Tom Vicino voted in favor of the bill and Haddam Rep. Philip Miller, a Democrat, was not present to vote, the website stated.

Earlier in the day the House voted 132-0 in favor of a bill that would limit how state and local police officers can hold illegal immigrants for deportation, the website reports. 

The Senate, where Democrats hold a clear majority, votes next on both bills. If they pass, and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signs them into law, Connecticut would join a small number of states to allow licenses to undocumented immigrants. Malloy has said he supports the license measure. 

The state's Office of Legislative Research estimates that 54,000 immigrants could obtain licenses under the bill over the next three years, the Mirror reports. 

Editor's Note: We incorrectly stated before that Rep. Phil Miller voted against the bill. This was not accurate, as Miller did not vote meaning he was present at the time or he abstained, the official record showed. We've since corrected this error.