Editor’s note: This press release was provided by Maya Moskowitz, press secretary. 

Today the New York State Senate passed the Driver’s Licenses Access and Privacy Act, also known as the Green Light bill, in a major victory for immigrants and advocates statewide. Co-sponsored by State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, the bill will expand access to driver’s licenses for undocumented New Yorkers.

State Senator Alessandra Biaggi (D-Bronx/Westchester) issued the following statement:

“Today’s passage of the Green Light bill is not only important to the protection and empowerment of immigrant New Yorkers – it is necessary for increasing public safety on our roads and growing our economy. This bill is not about immigration. This bill is about expanding access to driver’s licenses to all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, to ensure that all drivers on the road are safely and properly licensed. The anti-immigrant sentiment we’ve endured under this federal administration will not be validated by the New York State Senate — these individuals are our neighbors, our caretakers, and our workers. Hannah Arendt’s account on the banality of evil teaches us about the normalization of human wickedness — showing us that our only effective antidote to evil is never to react in such ways as to augment it. Sometimes the law is wrong. This is one of those times. And I am proud to have supported this bill. This victory would not have been possible without the tireless work of immigrants and advocates across the state, and the dedicated leadership of Majority Leader Andrea-Stewart Cousins.”