Latino panel urged delay of Utah license bill - Republican Governor Ignored Request

The day before Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. signed a bill into law denying driver licenses to people without a Social Security number, the state's Hispanic Advisory Council sent him a letter pleading with him to hold off. The 15-member council unanimously approved the one-page letter to Huntsman expressing concerns about possible discrimination because of Senate Bill 227, which provides for a "driving privilege card" for undocumented immigrants instead of a driver license. The letter was still stuck Monday in a 6-inch high "To Read" pile on the governor's desk. The letter said the "many who contribute to the greatness of this state" could be at risk of being exposed to "the greater evils of racial profiling and discrimination, which will likely be generated by SB227." Gonzalo Palza, a council member, said he understands that Huntsman is not always going to agree with the Latino community, but he wishes the governor would have listened to the council and not signed the bill. "This happened so fast, so quickly," Palza said. The group's responsibility is to advise the governor and state agencies about issues concerning the Latino community, such as SB227, said council members. "There was no outreach," Palza said. "If they would have approached it with more sensitivity, the community would have reacted in kind." The night it was delivered, roughly 2,000 adults and children marched downtown in protest of the bill. A day later, Huntsman signed the bill into law, which went into effect immediately. [more]