Montana Bill Proposes Citizenship Marker on Driver’s Licenses, IDs
"Eagle to signify the licensee's status as a United States citizen"
State Senator Theresa Manzella (R-Hamilton) introduced a bill last week that seeks to put an American citizenship status on Montanans’ driver’s licenses and real IDs.
In Senate Bill 99, after January 1, 2026, an identification card issued to an American citizen living in Montana “must display an image of an eagle to signify the licensee's status as a United States citizen.”
This bill will not allow a person’s social security number to be a “distinguishing number.”
According to the bill, people who renew their license should undergo a record check to “determine the applicant's eligibility status.”
If people attempt to renew their license online and the state government doesn’t have “a digitized photograph and signature record of the renewal applicant from the expiring license, then the renewal applicant shall apply in person,” the bill says.
Also, this proposal says a driver’s license renewal occurs when someone completes their application “within 6 months before or 1 year after the expiration of the person's license or if the person has applied for a REAL ID-compliant driver's license.”
Manzella told The Montana Chronicles that the inspiration for this bill was due to the increase in illegal immigration during the Biden administration and concerns about election integrity and who is receiving government benefits.
The state senator said Montana needs to confirm that the people receiving government benefits and voting in its elections are United States citizens.
In terms of Montana’s elections, Manzella said they “can be improved.”
“Our laws are dated. Since our laws have been written, technology has catapulted forward and our laws haven’t come along with it,” she told The Chronicles. “Now we're in the age of AI and quantum computers, and I take the constitutional directive to safeguard and purify the process very seriously.”
The state senator said this bill will help Montana’s election administrators “tremendously.”
Manzella said pushback against this bill proposal is “possible.” She added that she thinks the pushback will occur due to the cost of having machines that build the ID cards retooled to put the emblem on them.
“When you consider that that's a one-time cost versus the cost of losing an election illegally or having to redo an election or the cost associated with funding benefits to noncitizens, that's actually cheap in comparison,” the state senator added.
Manzella said anything is possible with the Montana courts.
“We are trying to determine exactly where the lines on the separations of powers fall,” the state senator explained. “The constitutions make it crystal clear that all legislative power resides in the legislature.”
“It is fully within our authority and scope of authority to make this law and expect it to be enforced and followed,” she added.
The Montana Senate Judiciary Committee will discuss this bill on Wednesday, January 15.
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Zachery Schmidt is the founder of The Montana Chronicles. If you have any tips, please send them to montanachronicles@proton.me.