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Friday, August 26th, 2011

From Judge Kennedy: Hammon Calls Licence Commissioners with Immigration Bill Concerns “Lazy”

Today I called on House Majority Leader Rep. Mickey Hammon and Governor Bentley to apologize for Hammon’s suggestion that license commissioners attempting to be realisitic about his irresponsible immigration bill are ‘lazy’.

This is yet another example of Republicans refusing to take responsibility for their reckless legislation,” said Kennedy in the wake of comments Hammon made to the Florence Times-Daily. Representative Hammon doesn’t seem to understand that when he says jump, county governments have more important things to say than how high.

Just two weeks ago, county licensing officials learned the immigration legislation passed by Hammon and Scott Beason of Gardendale would require them to demand proof of citizenship to issue updated vehicle tags and licenses. The law as passed would make it impossible for Alabamians to renew their tags by mail, creating longer lines for county residents, put a bigger burden on elderly and rural Alabamians, and create tens of thousands of pages of new paperwork for already cash-strapped counties.

Baldwin County’s probate judge suggested his offices could see as many as 25,000 additional customers in person without the option to renew by mail, and Republican Mobile County license Commissioner Kim Hastie said her office could need as much as $580,000 to update their equipment and office to comply with the new requirements.

Hammon owes these hardworking men and women an apology. County officials are just trying to do their homework before these ridiculous changes take effect — something Representative Hammon was clearly too lazy to do before he rushed the bill through the House.