A D.C. Council committee has approved a bill that would allow people living in the country illegally to get driver's licenses in the nation's capital.
The bill approved by the committee Tuesday makes a major change from the version introduced by Mayor Vincent Gray.
The mayor's bill would have established a second-class license for people who don't have legal permission to live in the United States. The license would have been marked as invalid for federal purposes in order to comply with federal law.
But Councilmember Mary Cheh says it would be counterproductive to give people an identification card that highlights their immigration status. And she says the federal ID law is highly flawed. The bill approved by Cheh's committee would allow all district residents to get the same license.
