Albany -- Pointing to the fact that New Yorkers already pay some of the highest taxes in the nation, Assembly Republican Leader James Tedisco  (R,C,I-Schenectady-Saratoga) Thursday said they shouldn't be held financially liable if Governor Eliot Spitzer sues county clerks over their refusal to implement his unlawful plan that would give driver's licenses to illegal aliens.

Tedisco noted that he is seeking passage of legislation - "The County Clerks Protection Act" - to defend and indemnify county clerks who follow the law, “upholding their sworn oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution by refusing to implement Governor Spitzer's proposal.”  Current law states that if a county clerk is brought up on charges, it then falls to the  taxpayers in that particular county to pay costs associated with the legal action.  Tedisco said the legislation should also prevent the Governor from removing county clerks who refuse to enact his proposal from office.

"Illegal Eliot is at it again: this time he's threatening to sue - in a  sense, legally steamroll - those courageous county clerks who refuse to  break the law by implementing his policy that would hand out driver's  licenses to illegal aliens," Tedisco said.

Tedisco indicated that under Section 502, subsection 1, of the Vehicle and Traffic Law, the Governor and the Commissioner of DMV would be in direct violation of state law requiring a Social Security number be provided to obtain a driver's license if their proposal were enacted.