§ 27-16-1110 — Findings and purpose of Sections 27-16-1111 and 27-16-1112

(a) The General Assembly finds that: (1) Currently, driver's licenses and identification cards are valid for a standard statutory period of time; (2) An applicant for the issuance or renewal of a driver's license or identification card who is not a citizen of the United States may obtain a driver's license or identification card that is valid for a period that exceeds his or her authorization to be lawfully present in the United States; (3) The United States Government, specifically United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, has authority over immigration matters and makes determinations on the length of time that a person who is not a citizen of the United States can remain in the United States; and (4) A driver's license or identification card that is valid for a period that exceeds the time prescribed by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, can be used to circumvent federal law and cause confusion on the status of the individual to whom it is issued. (b) The purpose of §§ 27-16-1111 and 27-16-1112 is to ensure that driver's licenses and identification cards issued by the state are not used to circumvent federal immigration laws or federal authority on immigration matters by preventing an applicant for the issuance or renewal of a driver's license or identification card from obtaining an identity document issued by the state that is valid for a period that exceeds the applicant's authorization to be lawfully present in the United States.

Legislative History

Acts 2009, No. 786, § 1.