Teamsters Joint Council 25 commended the Illinois General Assembly on Tuesday for passing the state’s first bill granting temporary driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants.

Backed by Gov. Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Senate Bill 957 will allow an estimated 250,000 illegal immigrants already living and working in Illinois to receive three-year renewable licenses. While the licenses cannot be used for official identification—such as for voting or air travel—they will allow immigrant workers to more easily obtain car insurance and safely navigate Illinois’ 140,000 miles of roads and tollways.

“Illinois and the Teamsters Union are welcoming to immigrants from all walks of life, both in our workplaces and our communities,” said John T. Coli, President of Joint Council 25. “The new law will make great strides towards protecting all drivers in our state. It is far better to have licensed immigrants and motorists driving to and from work in a responsible way than it is for workers to further shirk the law just to make a living.”

To be eligible for a new license, a person must reside in Illinois for at least one year and be unable to obtain a Social Security card or proper immigration documentation. Licensees will also have to undergo rules-of-the-road training, pass a vision test and show proof of insurance. The bill will become effective through the Secretary of State’s office 10 months after becoming law. Gov. Quinn is expected to sign the bill.

“In addition to protecting their families and other drivers, immigrants who obtain these licenses will put themselves in a better position to find good-paying, honest work in the transportation industry,” Coli said. “Worker safety and accountability are paramount issues for the Teamsters Union, and we applaud Illinois legislators for establishing such a responsible program.”

For many years, President Coli has made immigrant rights a priority for Joint Council 25. Since 2009, he has represented labor on the White House’s Immigration Roundtable, participating in immigration discussions with Hispanic organizations, law enforcement associations, activists and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

Coli was most recently in Washington to meet at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building with roughly 50 representatives from minority organizations and members of the American Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Teamsters Joint Council 25 represents more than 125,000 hardworking men and women throughout Illinois and northwest Indiana.

Ira Azulay is a founding partner of Immigration Attorneys, LLP and oversees the business and operations of the firm, including its expansion strategy. Ira and the firm emphasize a focus on client service in every matter, including the importance of attorney and staff accessibility, and client understanding, regardless of their primary language. With the firm, Ira strives to provide clients with high quality immigration solutions in order to help them make their dream of living and working in the United States a reality.

Ira’s practice touches all areas of immigration law. He handles all immigration matters from EB-2 and E-2 investments to BIA appeals.

Ira is a champion of immigrant rights and works with a variety of organizations in the community, including those that rest on both sides of the political aisle. He sits on the Board of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, a member of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. He also sits on or chairs various other task forces and committees, and regularly participates in related advocacy campaigns for immigrant rights, and other programs focused on raising the levels of professionalism among lawyers to improve the individual immigrant experience.

In addition to practicing law, Ira previously co-founded an independent film production company, Fusefilter Pictures, Inc. Ira also headed business development for Vivcom, Inc., a company that pioneered a then new way to index video utilizing MPEG-7. Prior to that, he was vice president of Wired Planet, Inc., an online entertainment company, and ran its business, legal and financial operations. In September, 2000, Wired Planet was acquired by Listen.com, which was later acquired by Real Networks, Inc. (RNWK). Ira previously practiced law with national law firms in the areas of mergers, acquisitions, venture capital financings and initial public offerings.

 Ira Azulay iazulay@immattyllp.com   ph. 312.661.9100 x8939   fx. 312.386.5100

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