Critics of the driving privilege cards have said they've been used as IDs, which is against the original intent of providing undocumented immigrants with an ability to drive legally, with insurance, but not be used as identification.

HB239 is not the only bill dealing with the cards. On Tuesday, Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem, who is sponsoring HB171 to tighten up the cards.

It would prevent the driving privilege card from being used for purposes such as buying alcohol, guns or controlled substances, or as proof of age for any purpose required by the government. It also would suspend the cards of uninsured drivers. Because in Utah, insurance is tied to cars, the process would be the same as one already in place to notify drivers that their auto registration doesn't match an insurance policy, Daw said. However for driving privilege card holders, the Driver License Division would be notified to suspend the card.

"The principle is very simple," Daw said. "The reason to get the card is to get insurance. The card will be revoked if they don't get insurance."

Rep. Bill Hickman, R-St. George, said he's removing the repeal of the driving privilege card from a bill he's drafting after seeing the results of a recent legislative audit that showed 76 percent of card holders were insured. That compares to 82 percent of license holders. Hickman said his bill will include a provision that the cards can't be used as identification.

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com