Driving cards worry some legal residents

Questions about insurance, crossing state lines arise

Larry McCulloch and his wife are from Manitoba, Canada. Larry has been living in the United States — first in Colorado, now in Utah — for six years. His wife has been living here four years.

They've both had drivers' licenses the duration of their residency here and are both here legally.

So, when Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. signed legislation this month instituting driving privilege cards for illegal and some legal residents of the state, the McCullochs thought they were in the clear.

Although Latinos were the most visible opponents to the new laws, it turns out they are not the only ones affected. Under the new laws, if you don't have a Social Security number, you cannot obtain a Utah driver's license.

In the McCullochs' case, Larry has a number and his wife, who didn't want to be identified, doesn't. And it won't be easy for her to get one.

Since Oct. 27, 2003, the Social Security Administration won't issue a number when the only reason for having one is to comply with a state law requiring the number for a driver's license application, according to the administration's Web site. Legal immigrants must have a valid nonwork reason for needing a Social Security number. Larry said his wife doesn't qualify.

"I have to think (the Legislature) didn't anticipate this," Larry said.

It's not as if Larry's wife can't drive. She can get the new driving privilege card, instead of a license.

Immigrants using a temporary tax identification number (ITIN) can receive a driving privilege card instead of a driver's license. Starting July 1, legal immigrants without a work purpose — who previously couldn't get a Utah driver's license — will also qualify for the driving privilege card under a separate new law, HB223.

What happens when his wife drives across state lines and into Canada for a visit?

Larry says his wife, who has never had a traffic citation or been in an automobile crash, is being punished because she is Canadian.

But State Sen. Curtis Bramble, R-Provo, who sponsored SB227, doesn't think McCulloch's wife is being punished.

"Whether they're legal or illegal, they don't have the same rights reserved for U.S. citizens," Bramble said in a phone interview.

The driving privilege cards cannot be used as governmental identification, but insurance companies have said they will accept the cards as identification so drivers can purchase car insurance.

So have some Utah credit unions and banks, including the two largest — Zions Bank and Wells Fargo. America First Credit Union hasn't taken a position on the new cards yet.

"As a community bank, Zions sees its acceptance of the driving privilege card as another way we help make banking as convenient as possible for our local Latino neighbors," said Scott Anderson, Zions president and CEO, in a news release Tuesday.

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