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SF0120 • 2024

Driver's licenses-unauthorized alien restrictions.

AN ACT relating to driver's licenses; specifying that driver's licenses and driving operating privilege cards issued by other jurisdictions to unauthorized aliens are invalid; providing a definition; providing a penalty; making conforming amendments; requiring rulemaking; and provide for effective dates.

Inactive

Wyoming marks this bill as inactive, which usually means it is no longer moving in the current session.

Sponsor
Senator Bouchard
Last action
2024-03-05
Official status
inactive
Effective date
3/1/2024

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass and is now inactive. Therefore, it does not provide specific penalties or enforcement details.

Driver's Licenses-unauthorized Alien Restrictions

This act makes driver's licenses and driving privilege cards issued to unauthorized aliens from other states invalid in Wyoming.

What This Bill Does

  • Specifies that any driver's license or driving operating privilege card issued by another state exclusively to unauthorized aliens is not valid in Wyoming.
  • Provides a definition for 'unauthorized alien' as someone who is neither a U.S. citizen nor lawfully admitted into the United States.
  • Amends existing laws to require nonresidents and military personnel to have licenses that are valid under this new law.
  • Requires rulemaking by the transportation department to implement this act.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Unauthorized aliens who hold driver's licenses or privilege cards from other states
  • Nonresidents of Wyoming who drive in the state

Terms To Know

unauthorized alien
A person who is not a U.S. citizen and has not been lawfully admitted into the United States.
driving operating privilege card
A document that allows someone to drive but does not qualify as a full driver's license, often issued by states for specific reasons like tourism or temporary residence.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill did not pass and is now inactive.
  • It only affects people who are in Wyoming without proper legal status.
  • Details about how the law will be enforced are unclear.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SF0120SW001

Committee of the Whole • Senator Case

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds a requirement that individuals must be U.S. citizens to receive certain types of driver's licenses or driving privileges.

  • Adds the condition that an individual must be a U.S. citizen in order for their out-of-state driver’s license or driving privilege card to be considered valid.
  • The amendment text does not specify all potential impacts and may have broader implications not covered here.
SF0120SS001

Standing Committee • Senate Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivi

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment removes language about employment authorization and permanent residency status from a bill that deals with driver's licenses for unauthorized aliens.

  • Removes the phrase 'for permanent residence or who is not authorized to' from the bill text.
  • Eliminates the requirement that an unauthorized alien must be able to 'be employed in the United States'.
  • The exact impact of these changes on the overall intent and enforcement of the bill is unclear without further context.

Bill History

  1. 2024-03-05 House

    H:Died in Committee Returned Bill Pursuant to HR 5-4

  2. 2024-03-05 House

    H No report prior to CoW Cutoff

  3. 2024-03-05 Wyoming Legislature

    :Recall from Committee failed Pursuant to HR 5-6 25-36-1-0-0

  4. 2024-02-29 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H07 - Corporations

  5. 2024-02-28 House

    H Received for Introduction

  6. 2024-02-27 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 29-2-0-0-0

  7. 2024-02-26 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  8. 2024-02-23 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  9. 2024-02-21 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  10. 2024-02-21 Senate

    S07 - Corporations:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 4-0-1-0-0

  11. 2024-02-16 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S07 - Corporations 26-5-0-0-0

  12. 2024-02-14 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  13. 2024-02-13 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
24LSO-0532
2024
STATE OF WYOMING
24LSO-0532
ENGROSSED
3.0

SENATE FILE NO. SF0120

Driver's licenses-unauthorized alien restrictions.

Sponsored by: Senator(s) Bouchard, Biteman, French, Hutchings, Kinskey, Kolb, Laursen, D, McKeown, Salazar and Steinmetz and Representative(s) Bear, Haroldson, Heiner, Jennings, Knapp, Rodriguez-Williams, Ward and Winter

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to driver's licenses; specifying that driver's licenses and driving operating privilege cards issued by other jurisdictions to unauthorized aliens are invalid; providing a definition; providing a penalty; making conforming amendments; requiring rulemaking; and provide for effective dates.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 31
‑
7
‑
143 is created to read:

31
‑
7
‑
143.

Unauthorized aliens; invalid out
‑
of
‑
state driver's licenses and driving operating privilege cards.

(a)

Any driver's license or driving operating privilege card issued by another jurisdiction exclusively to unauthorized aliens or any driver's license or driving operating privilege card that is substantially similar to driver's licenses or driving operating privilege cards issued to United States citizens or permanent resident aliens that has markings establishing that the license or card holder did not provide proof of lawful presence shall be deemed invalid in this state.

(b)

As used in this section, "unauthorized alien" means a person who is not a United States citizen and is not lawfully admitted in the United States.

Section 2.

W.S. 31
‑
7
‑
107(a)(i) through (iii) and (v) and 31
‑
7
‑
134(a) and (c) are amended to read:

31
‑
7
‑
107.

Persons exempted.

(a)

The following persons are exempt from the licensing requirement under this act:

(i)

Any employee of the United States government while operating a motor vehicle owned by or leased to the United States government and being operated on official business unless the employee is required by the United States government or any agency thereof to have a state driver's license
and the state driver's license is not invalid under W.S. 31
‑
7
‑
143(a)
;

(ii)

A nonresident who has in his immediate possession a valid license issued to him by the licensing authority in his place of residence
, if the nonresident's license is not invalid under W.S. 31
‑
7
‑
143(a)
;

(iii)

A nonresident on active duty in the armed forces of the United States who has a valid license issued by his state of residence and the nonresident's spouse or dependent son or daughter who has a valid license issued by the person's state of residence
, if the nonresident's license is not invalid under W.S. 31
‑
7
‑
143(a)
;

(v)

A nonresident full
‑
time student at the University of Wyoming, a Wyoming community college, a school licensed in this state offering post
‑
secondary education or at a parochial, church or religious school as defined by W.S. 21
‑
4
‑
101(a)(iv) offering post secondary education, who has in his immediate possession a valid license issued to him by the licensing authority of his place of residence
, if the nonresident's license is not invalid under W.S. 31
‑
7
‑
143(a)
;

31
‑
7
‑
134.

Driving while license cancelled, suspended, invalid or revoked.

(a)

No person shall drive a motor vehicle on any public highway in this state at a time when his driver's license, from this or any other jurisdiction, or nonresident operating privileges are cancelled, suspended
, invalid
or revoked under this act or any other law. Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, a person convicted of violating this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), by imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, or both.

(c)

A person convicted of a subsequent violation of subsection (a) of this section or other substantially similar law of any other jurisdiction for driving during the same period of cancellation, suspension or revocation giving rise to the previous conviction, or a person convicted of driving during
invalidation or
a period of cancellation, suspension or revocation arising from a previous conviction under W.S. 31
‑
5
‑
229
,

or
31
‑
5
‑
233
or 31
‑
7
‑
143
or other substantially similar law of any other jurisdiction, is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be imprisoned for not less than seven (7) days nor more than six (6) months and shall not be eligible for probation or suspension of sentence or release on any other basis until he has served at least seven (7) days in jail. In addition, the person shall be fined not less than two hundred dollars ($200.00) nor more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00). Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any person under the age of twenty
‑
one (21) years convicted of being in control of a vehicle in this state with an alcohol concentration of between two one
‑
hundredths of one percent (0.02%) and the amount specified in W.S. 31
‑
5
‑
233(b)(i) shall not be punished by imprisonment of at least seven (7) days in jail as otherwise provided under this section, but shall have his license administratively suspended for thirty (30) days.

Section 3.

The department of transportation shall promulgate any rules necessary to implement this act.

Section 4.

(a)

Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b) of this section, this act is effective July 1, 2024.

(b)

Sections 3 and 4 of this act are effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.

(END)

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SF0120