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Lawmakers Send DACA Job Licenses Bill To Governor

Sen. Blake Doriot (R-Syracuse) says if Indiana doesn’t ensure DACA recipients get job licenses, they’ll just move to other states.
Lauren Chapman/IPB News
Sen. Blake Doriot (R-Syracuse) says if Indiana doesn’t ensure DACA recipients get job licenses, they’ll just move to other states.

House and Senate lawmakers overwhelmingly approved legislation Wednesday to ensure DACA recipients, known as Dreamers, get professional licenses from the state.

The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency began denying licenses to those immigrants late last year to comply with a 2011 state immigration law.

But backed by the Holcomb administration, lawmakers took steps in the session’s final weeks to remedythat unintended consequence.

Sen. Blake Doriot (R-Syracuse) says if Indiana doesn’t ensure Dreamers get job licenses, they’ll just move to other states.

“This is a good bill," Doriot says. "It helps young people in the state of Indiana who are working hard and want to participate in society.”

The Senate approved the bill 39-8; the House passed it 85-7. It now goes to the governor’s desk for his signature.

Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state.
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