A day after New York became the 13th state to allow undocumented immigrants to apply for driver's licenses, New Jersey's advocates on Tuesday renewed calls for the Garden State to be next.

"We applaud this historic victory for immigrants — and for everyone that cares about respect, dignity and safety — in New York,'' said Olga Armas, a leader of Make the Road New Jersey, which has been lobbying for the change. "Now it's time for New Jersey to expand access to driver's licenses. This fight has been waged for more than a decade in New Jersey, and it has never been more urgent."

But advocates will have to wait. A bill introduced last year that would make driver's licenses available to immigrants without legal status remains in review, Liza Acevedo, a spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, D-Middlesex, said Tuesday.

"Speaker Coughlin encourages a thorough and thoughtful process during the creation of legislation,'' she said. "He understands the concerns of the advocates and continues to meet with stakeholders and the members of his caucus as the legislation is still being reviewed at this time."

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In New Jersey, state lawmakers introduced a bill in November that would, in part, allow immigrants without legal status, certain senior citizens and others who lack documentation to get a license that could be used only for driving, and not for other purposes.

Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, has said it's an idea he would support. The divisive measure, though, has stalled, with some political observers saying that the proximity of November elections is contributing to the delay. All 80 seats in the Assembly will be on the ballot, and observers expect Coughlin to stay clear of proposals like the driver's license bill that could make his Democratic members targets of political attack ads.

Proponents' and opponents' views

As was seen in New York, advocates in New Jersey have pushed for support of the bill, ramping up their efforts in recent months by organizing rallies and marches at various sites, including in front of Coughlin’s office. This past Sunday, on Father’s Day, advocates held a march and rally outside of Coughlin's district office in Woodbridge that drew hundreds.

Proponents of the bill argue that extending driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants would increase public safety and boost the economy, because those who would receive the licenses would buy car insurance, vehicles, gasoline and auto parts.

They also say undocumented immigrants struggle every day without having a driver’s license, because they have to take their children to school and doctor appointments, as well as get to work every day.

Advocates say that each time undocumented people in New Jersey drives, they risk the possibility of being ticketed, detained and even transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which can deport them and separate them from their families.

Opponents of the legislation have said the proposal prioritizes immigrants without legal status above everyone else. Some have also said it would reward immigrants who have broken the law.

Also, several states that have extended driving privileges to undocumented immigrants have discovered cases of fraud.

In Vermont, for instance, state residents who don’t have permission to live in the country can apply for a form of identification called a driving privilege card. Since Vermont began issuing the cards in 2014, its Department of Motor Vehicles has found that residents from other states have applied for and received licenses that have had to be canceled.

In Maryland, which also started issuing driver’s licenses and identification cards to undocumented immigrants in 2014, an audit of the Motor Vehicle Administration a few years later found that 826 driver’s licenses and identification cards had been issued in a six-month period to people who had presented counterfeit documentation.

As a result of an internal investigation, 270 fraudulent licenses were canceled.

The problems in Maryland continue. This past October, for instance, a 38-year-old woman was charged with multiple counts of fraud for making and selling fake bank statements and utility bills so out-of-state residents could get driver’s licenses, police said.

Who benefits?

New Jersey is home to an estimated 450,000 undocumented immigrants, and, according to the latest estimates from New Jersey Policy Perspective, a left-leaning think tank, 222,000 residents in the Garden State would obtain driver's licenses during the first three years if the measure is adopted.

The bill is expected to generate $21 million in revenue from permit, title and driver’s license fees in the first three years, according to an analysis by the group. Once the legislation is fully implemented, new drivers would generate $90 million annually from registration fees, the gas tax, and the sales tax on purchases made at gas stations and motor vehicle and auto parts, according to the analysis.

A few frequently asked questions about the New Jersey bill:

How will the proposed bill, if approved, be implemented?

The proposed bill would allow immigrants living in the country without legal status to acquire a state driver’s license. The bill calls for the chief administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission to establish the documentation necessary for applicants to obtain a driver's license. Documents would have to verify an applicant's identity and that the person resides in New Jersey.

How would NJ driver's licenses issued to undocumented immigrants differ from others?

The driver’s licenses that would be issued under the proposed measure would bear a unique "design or color" to indicate that the license cannot be used for federal purposes.

Could the personal information that undocumented immigrants disclose to obtain a driver's license be shared with other agencies?

The measure, as it was introduced, states that any document and personal information obtained shall be confidential, and shall not be considered a government record, and shall not be disclosed by the commission for purposes of "investigation, arrest, citation, prosecution, or detention" related to an applicant’s citizenship or immigration status without the consent of the driver's license holder or a valid court order or subpoena.

Which states allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses?

New York this week became the latest state to extend driver's licenses to immigrants without legal status. It joins Washington, D.C., and the states of California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Vermont and Washington.