Senator Rob Ortt (R,C,I – North Tonawanda) today issued the following statement regarding the Board of Regents proposal to issue professional licenses to illegal immigrants. A video of Senator Ortt’s statement can be found here.

“I’m strongly opposed to the Board of Regents outrageous proposal to grant teaching or medical licenses to illegal immigrants. This shows the completely upside-down priorities of Albany progressives. We’ve seen time and time again the problems created by New York’s education bureaucracy, which serves at the mercy of - and under the direction of - New York City liberals and special interest groups. This education bureaucracy has created a system where military nurses aren’t able to practice nursing in New York because the state doesn’t accept a license earned in the Armed Services. New York still refuses to recognize the licenses of active duty spouses because those licenses were earned out of state. And we have many hardworking American citizens who have been laid off or trying to get a teaching job and can't. But somehow, New York doesn’t see a problem with granting career licenses for those who came here against our laws. Such a ridiculous policy unjustly and improperly rewards illegal immigrants, and is unfair to the hard-working professionals across the state and across our nation.”