Due to a funding freeze imposed by lawmakers on the Joint Budget Committee, Colorado’s Department of Motor Vehicles says it can’t accept any more appointments this year from undocumented immigrants seeking driver’s licenses.
The program receives no state taxes and is operated through the fees immigrants pay for their licenses, driving permits, and identification cards. Democratic lawmakers set up the driver’s license program two years ago.
The state Department of Revenue, which oversees the program, asked budget writers for permission to access $166,265 in fees that have already been collected to increase staffing.
Republicans who control the Senate for the first time in 10 years used their newfound power on the Joint Budget Committee to reject the request.
With its funding cut to a trickle, the DMV says it will only be able offer the licenses at the Denver Central office, starting next month. Previously, five offices around the state handled the appointments.
Undocumented immigrants who already have license appointments will have them rescheduled. The DMV says those who aren’t in the system already will have to wait until next January to try to get an appointment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
You want to know what is really going on these days, especially in Colorado. We can help you keep up. The Lookout is a free, daily email newsletter with news and happenings from all over Colorado. Sign up here and we will see you in the morning!
Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. Listen now.
Join us for these upcoming events!
It takes a good day’s drive to cover Colorado, but we’ll help you do it in a few minutes. Our newsletters bring you a closer look at the stories that affect you and the music that inspires you.