In what he hopes to be “a message to Washington that immigration reform is long past due,” California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law giving illegal immigrants the right to apply for drivers’ licenses. The state is expected to see 1.4 million new applicants in the next three years before it goes into effect January 1, 2015. Brown lauded the bill for enabling immigrants to now “get to work safely and legally.” Initially, he threatened to veto the bill but changed course when he found out it didn’t go against federal law. Nine other states and the District of Columbia have similar laws.