Tennessee Senate Tweaks Non-Citizen Drivers License Labeling Bill

NASHVILLE, TN — Drivers licenses issued to non-citizens won't have "ALIEN" printed on them under a change approved by a State Senate committee Monday.

The bill, sponsored in the Senate by Mae Beavers, a Mt. Juliet Republican, originally required that licenses and identification cards issued to non-permanent residents bear the words "ALIEN" or "NON-US CITIZEN"; currently, those IDs say "TEMPORARY." But, citing objections by the economic and community development office, the Senate Transportation and Safety Committee recommended an amendment that would have the cards instead read "VISA."

Non-permanent residents in the United States legally are permitted to get Tennessee drivers licenses or ID cards that expire at the end of their visa. For updates on the General Assembly and other local news that affects you, find and subscribe to your local Middle Tennessee Patch.

Beavers told the committee she was amending the bill, but raised concerns that the IDs could be used by non-citizens to vote. State election officials told her there had been no reports of such a ruse.

The companion bill in the House is sponsored by John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican, who, when he introduced the legislation, cited the September 11 attacks as a reason the change was needed.

"The 19 hijackers from 9/11 were here on overstayed visas, so this is just intended to be another way of ensuring that we catch that if we can," he told The Tennessean at the time. "You never put just one barrier out there to stop an enemy, you put as many as you can. This is just an additional check out there. It's not intended to be anything onerous but it is intended to be a little more obvious."

The state's department of safety maintains that it's easy to spot the difference in a temporary, non-citizen ID and a citizen's drivers license.

Image via Tennessee General Assembly