Committee approves adding citizenship status to licenses

The Capitol wasn’t as crowded this week due to the snow and frigid temperatures, but we continued to push forward on many important bills in the Iowa House.

On Thursday in the House Judiciary committee, we approved HSB 37, which will require driver’s licenses to indicate a holder’s citizenship status. While opponents will try to muddy the waters with claims of “discrimination,” this bill simply ensures that any citizen or noncitizen who is legally in the country has identification that they can use in and out of the state.

Here’s how it works:

1. Application Requirements: When someone applies for a driver's license or ID card, they will need to indicate whether they are a U.S. citizen or a noncitizen who is legally allowed to be in the United States.

2. Information on the License/ID: The driver's license or ID card will have this citizenship status printed on the back. This is to ensure that anyone looking at the card can see the holder's legal status in the United States.

3. Social Security Number: For applicants who are foreign nationals (people from other countries who are temporarily in the U.S.), the Department of Transportation (DOT) may allow them to skip providing a social security number when applying.

4. Renewals Included: The new rules will apply not just to new applications but also to renewals of existing driver's licenses and ID cards. So, if someone is renewing their license or ID, they will also need to provide their citizenship status.

Immigrants who are following the right process to become an American citizen can immediately prove it. Visitors and students who are legally here can immediately prove it.

Poll workers can immediately know if someone is a citizen who can legally vote. This seemed like a common sense thing to me, so I voted for it.