An Act to Identify United States Citizenship Status on Driver's Licenses and Nondriver Identification Cards
Summary
LD 1329 would require Maine driver’s licenses and nondriver identification cards to display the holder’s status as a United States citizen, a noncitizen of the United States, or an asylum seeker. The bill amends the state’s licensing and identification card provisions to add this designation as required information on the face of the credential, alongside existing identifying details such as name, address, and date of birth.
In practical terms, the bill would change the information Maine’s Secretary of State must collect and print on driver’s licenses and nondriver ID cards. It would affect applicants for those credentials and would create a new statutory requirement for how state-issued identification documents are formatted and what personal status information they must disclose.
Impact
The bill would amend Maine law governing driver’s licenses and nondriver identification cards by adding a mandatory citizenship/status designation. It would require the Secretary of State to include whether an applicant is a U.S. citizen, a noncitizen, or an asylum seeker on the credential itself, thereby expanding the categories of personal information that must appear on state-issued IDs and potentially affecting administrative procedures, privacy practices, and how these IDs are used for identification purposes.
Sentiment
The recorded legislative sentiment appears unfavorable to the bill. The House first voted 77-66 for an “Ought Not To Pass” majority report, and the Senate later voted 21-13 to accept that majority report. Those votes indicate that a majority in both chambers preferred not to advance the proposal, suggesting significant concern or lack of support for the measure.
Contention
The main point of contention is the bill’s requirement to visibly label a person’s citizenship or immigration-related status on a government-issued identification card. Supporters appear to have framed the measure as an identification and status-verification policy, while opponents likely objected to the privacy, civil liberties, and potential discrimination implications of marking IDs with citizenship, noncitizen, or asylum-seeker status. The decisive “ought not to pass” votes show that these concerns outweighed support for the proposal.
Requires the office of motor vehicles to display an image indicating the United States citizenship status on driver's licenses and state identification cards of cardholders (EN SEE FISC NOTE SG EX)
An Act To Amend Titles 15 And 21 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Photographic Identification In Delaware Elections And Obtaining Nondriver Identification Cards.
Permitting homeless veterans to use alternative forms of proof of identity and residency when applying for nondriver identification cards and eliminating fees for homeless veterans to obtain birth certificates for purposes of nondriver identification card applications.