Loany Galeano-Breve, a 17-year-old member of La Voz Unida, reads her letter to Mayor Joe Thallemer and the Warsaw Common Council about the Driving Privilege Card Program.

Text and Photos
By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — Warsaw Common Council voiced support Monday for Mayor Joe Thallemer to prepare a resolution in support of Indiana Senate Bill 248 on the Driving Privilege Card Program.

The council gave a consensus vote of 6-0 – with the resolution to be presented to the council at its Feb. 21 meeting – after Ed Rodriguez, on behalf of La Voz Unida, gave a presentation on the program, backed by a standing-room-only crowd.

Thallemer said at 9 a.m. today, Tuesday, Feb. 7, down at the Statehouse, there will be a hearing on SB 248 introducing the bill. He said SB 248 was authored by two Republican state senators and one Democrat state senator and co-authored by four Republican and one Democrat state senators.

Rodriguez said, “I come here on behalf of La Voz Unida … and for all of those in my city and yours, and from corner to corner of this great state, for those people who live in fear and anxiety daily because they must drive and they know it is illegal. The undocumented and those who are not able to comply with the current BMV requirements to obtain a state-issued identification card or a driver’s license have real needs like you and I.”

He said these folks need to work to feed, clothe and shelter their families. Their children need to go to school and sometimes need to seek medical aid. Because they don’t have a form of identification to prove who they are, they can’t use the local luxuries like libraries.

Ed Rodriguez, on behalf of La Voz Unida, talks to the Warsaw Common Council Monday night about Indiana Senate Bill 248.

“This evening, La Voz Unida requests that you please consider a resolution from the city of Warsaw in support of bill proposal 248,” Rodriguez said.

The bill has been under committee investigation this past summer and will reconvene again at 9 a.m. today in Indianapolis. He said the proposal has been in the works for years and failed because the legislative body didn’t see support for it.

“For the first time, it is now a bipartisan effort,” Rodriguez said, citing Sens. Blake Doriot, a Republican; David Niezgodski, a Democrat; and Linda Rogers, a Republican, as the co-sponsors of the bill. He said they believe the bill is to be voted on during the first quarter of 2023. La Voz Unida has been working to meet with senators and representatives across Indiana to ask for their support and advocacy, he said. They have now taken the approach of asking community leaders, like the Warsaw Common Council, to provide resolutions to serve “as a symbol of support and advocacy that the city of Warsaw offers to the proposal that is known as the Driving Privilege Card Program.”

Packets of information on the program were provided to council members and local media. The first document, “Safer Roads, A Stronger Indiana,” Rodriguez explained, describes the proposal in an easy-to-read format. The second document, a fact sheet, “is a quick reference and bullet point sheet that explains things pretty clearly.” Both documents were prepared by University of Notre Dame students who are working on getting SB 248 into law.

The third document is an article from the National Conference of State Legislatures “that does a tremendous job of  enlisting the details of the current states that have already adopted this program into law,” Rodriguez said.

The fourth document was prepared by a member of La Voz Unida and provides information required to obtain a driver’s registration card in Indiana.

“It is very important for us that there be no misinformation. No misunderstandings or no rumors on this bill proposal,” Rodriguez said.

According to the fourth document, the information required to obtain a driving card in the state of Indiana includes: Only eligible individuals will be able to apply for this card. It is very important that each individual meet all the requirements to obtain one. The individual will be required to be living in Indiana for at least one year or more to be eligible to apply. The individual will have to provide documentation as proof of paying Indiana taxes. Some eligible individuals can apply for an Individual Tax Identification Number through the IRS as a method of paying taxes. The individuals may be fingerprinted. All individuals applying for a drivers card will need to study the regulations, signs and traffic signals and will need to take and pass a written exam. All individuals will have to take an actual driving test with a BMV instructor. The card is valid for only one year, after which it is to be renewed again and all the required documentation must be submitted once again.

“Now, here is what’s important. What is it that individuals can not do with this card? It can not be used for identification. It can not be used to vote. It can not be used to travel by airplane. And you can not use it to travel to other states,” Rodriguez said.

The card also will not allow an individual to enter a federal building, he added.

The fifth document was a letter written to the mayor by La Voz Unida 17-year-old member Loany Galeano-Breve. She read her letter to the Council. In part, it states, “The lack of privileges doesn’t only affect our Hispanic community, but the community as a whole. It is known that to survive you need water, food, air and shelter. If someone is not able to operate a vehicle, how are they supposed to go out and supply food for themselves or their families? They can walk; well, walking with excessive heat or cold is not a great option.”

The rest of the packet included six resolutions for the Council to review, from South Bend, Goshen, East Chicago, Hammond, Plymouth and Elkhart. The city of Logansport approved a resolution Monday night in favor of the card program, Rodriguez announced. They’re meeting with the city of Bremen next Monday to seek their approval.

On behalf of La Voz Unida, Rodriguez made a statement in Spanish.

“We are La Voz Unida from Plymouth,” he then said. “An organization that battles, in a sense, with peace and respect toward other people, asking and never mandating of the corresponding authorities. We have the same quiet needs as other organizations that unite us all.”

He thanked the council for allowing them to bring the matter to their attention.

Thallemer asked, for clarification, if the Driving Privilege Card is not an Indiana driver’s license and was separate from a license. Rodriguez said that was correct.

“There’s been some discussion because I think it’s a little bit of a concern down at Indianapolis that there will be some confusion. We’re very careful with law enforcement as to how we’re going to handle this type of privilege. And so they’re talking about maybe changing the shape of the card. There was talk about it possibly being round, hexagon or like a permit where it’s different than a driver’s license. So, there’s a lot of components that are still up in the air, but yes, it is completely different,” Rodriguez stated.

Thallemer then asked Rodriguez to talk about maintaining financial responsibility as well. Rodriguez said no personal liability and property damage will be allowed with the driving privilege card. “You must carry full-coverage insurance. That’s it. That’s the only way to make this thing work,” Rodriguez stated.

He said anyone who obtains the card will begin as though they were a 16-year-old kid just coming out of driver’s education.

Councilwoman Diane Quance said it’s for more than just the Hispanic population as Warsaw also has large Indian and Asian communities and it will affect them as well. She then asked if there were plans to have assistance for people to study for the card program and what the rules of the road are.

Rodriguez said yes, and that the Bureau of Motor Vehicles has 20 different languages for the written exam. “That just tells you how diverse Indiana is,” he said.

After a few other clarification questions from Council members, Councilman Jerry Frush made a motion for Thallemer to prepare a resolution for the Feb. 21 Council meeting in support of SB 248. Councilwoman Cindy Dobbins seconded the motion and it passed 6-0, with Councilman Mike Klondaris absent.

The large crowd gave the Council a standing ovation and thanked them with words and handshakes.

The City Council Chambers inside Warsaw City Hall Monday night was standing-room-only with supporters of Indiana Senate Bill 248. More supporters came into the room after this photo was taken.