Oklahoma governor and legislature take one step back on anti-immigrant HB 1804 for those renewing expired IDs

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The Oklahoma governor and legislator took a step back from the harsh ID requirements of HB 1804 when attempting to renew an Oklahoma drivers license after it expires. Under HB 1804, which went into effect on November 1, 2007, those renewing an expired license needed to appear before a state drivers license examiner. Under the new provision, persons can renew their expired state drivers license through the procedure which existed before HB 1804 by appearing at any tag agent. After 30 days though, they must take the drivers license examiner route which required some citizens an entire day when renewing an expired drivers license. The better solution would have been to just strike all the drivers license provisions put in place by HB 1804 as Oklahoma did not allow those without legal immigration status to get a drivers license in Oklahoma anyway. In essence, the law only penalized citizens. While an improvement, the new action by the governor and the state legislature does not right the wrong put upon the citizens of Oklahoma in the name of “immigration reform.”