Lamont seeks to standardize driver’s licenses

Plan follows crackdown in Fla. on undocumented immigrants

After Florida cracked down on licenses issued to immigrants without permanent legal status, Gov. Ned Lamont has introduced a proposal to standardize drive-only licenses in Connecticut.

Since 2014, state residents who lack U.S. citizenship or permanent residency have been eligible to receive drive-only licenses through the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. Lamont’s House Bill 5057 would align this license class with other NON-REAL ID licenses by removing three visual signifiers on the drive-only license and lengthening renewal periods from three to six or eight years.

While Connecticut is one of 19 states that grant licenses to residents regardless of immigration status, it is now one of just two states that visibly distinguish driveonly licenses from other licenses that are not eligible for federal identification — a distinction that could lead to legal problems for drivers who venture beyond state borders.

In May, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis signed into law a sweeping anti-illegal immigration bill that, among other measures, prohibits individuals who were “unable to prove lawful presence in the U.S. when his or her license was issued” from operating motor vehicles in the state.

Connecticut licenses marked with “DO — Not for Federal Identification” and Delaware licenses inscribed with “Driving Privilege Only — Not Valid for Identification” are currently the only out-of-state licenses recognized as invalid under this Florida law.

In a fact sheet on H.B. 5057, Lamont’s office explained that physical differences in the state’s drive-only licenses have “unintentionally made Connecticut residents with varying immigration statuses vulnerable in hostile states.”

According to the explainer, through Lamont’s proposal, residents who renew a drive-only license on or after Jan. 1, 2025 would “receive a license that is physically indistinguishable from another NON-REAL ID license,” and, after implementation, “Connecticut will be removed from other states’ lists of states that have a separate physical class of license for undocumented residents.”

In Connecticut, NON-REAL ID licenses are marked with the words “Not for Federal

Identification.”

Starting in May of 2025, the federal government will require travelers to present a REAL ID license or a valid U.S. Passport for domestic flights. REAL IDS are signified with a gold star in the upper right hand corner of the license.

Under H.B. 5057, the DMV will continue to track whether drive-only and NON-REAL ID applicants have provided documentation proving U.S. citizenship.

“Multiple controls are present in the DMV and the Secretary of the State’s electronic systems to ensure that, like other noncitizens, those applying for drive-only licenses are not automatically registered to vote,” the explainer from the governor’s office said.

H.B. 5057 has been referred to the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Transportation.