Background: House Bill 116 would invalidate out-of-state driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants. The bill would also charge drivers with a misdemeanor for driving without a license.
Our position: The ACLU of Wyoming opposes House Bill 116. This anti-immigrant bill does not make our state any safer or any better.
The roads are safer if everyone using them has passed a driver’s test and is licensed. States that have extended driving privileges to undocumented residents have seen the positive effect it can have on traffic. But House Bill 116, in undermining the validity of driver’s licenses, would make Wyoming roads less safe. This is because driver’s licenses promote public safety.
By expanding access to driver’s licenses for undocumented residents, other states have helped increase safety in the roads. This happens through road test exams, driver identification, and car insurance usage. Driver’s licenses also promote public safety because licensed drivers are also more likely to obtain some level of insurance, including liability insurance.
House Bill 116, however, would discourage a category of already-licensed drivers in Wyoming — those who are undocumented — from driving with a license in the state when they have already been deemed to be able to drive safely. Because these individuals can drive safely, this bill is punitive toward these individuals and does nothing to improve safety.
This bill is also of questionable legal merit in that it requires that Wyoming deviate from its commitments and obligations to recognize the validity of driver’s licenses issued by other U.S. states and jurisdictions. In the United States, states generally recognize the laws, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. Nineteen states and D.C. currently provide undocumented immigrants with access to driver’s licenses. Wyoming is not one of those states. While the issuance of driver’s licenses in other states generally does not obligate Wyoming to issue identification to undocumented people, banning Wyoming from recognizing these lawfully-obtained licenses is concerning.
