Sponsors (5)
The bill reallocates federal highway funds to reward states that deny driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants and punish states that provide them, trading increased funding and federal leverage for some states against reduced road funding, higher local costs, civil-rights impacts on immigrants, and federalism/legal challenges for others.
States that deny driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants will receive larger shares of certain federal highway funds, increasing road funding available to those states and their drivers.
The bill creates a federal enforcement lever that pressures states to align state ID/driver's license policies with federal immigration priorities.
States that provide IDs to undocumented immigrants would lose 100% of certain federal highway apportionments for the fiscal year, substantially reducing funding for road projects and maintenance in those states.
Taxpayers and local governments in penalized states could face delayed or reduced transportation improvements and higher local costs if states must replace withheld federal funds.
Undocumented immigrants in states that comply would have reduced access to legal driving credentials, harming mobility, employment opportunities, and potentially public safety outcomes.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Conditions certain federal highway apportionments on States not issuing driver’s licenses or state IDs to undocumented immigrants, withholding specified funds for FY2023 and after.
Withholds federal highway apportioned funds from any State that enacts a law allowing issuance of driver’s licenses or other State-issued identification cards to aliens unlawfully present in the United States. For fiscal year 2023 and each year after, the Secretary of Transportation must withhold 100% of certain apportioned highway funds from such States; withheld funds are held for the fiscal year and reapportioned back to the offending State only if it repeals those laws before the fiscal year ends, otherwise redistributed to compliant States. The measure defines “identification card” by cross-reference to federal law, adds the new statutory provision to title 23 of U.S. Code, and includes a table-of-contents entry for the addition.
Official title: To withhold Federal highway funds from States that provide driver's licenses or identification cards to aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 3, 2025 by Claudia Tenney · Last progress January 3, 2025