Bill would add ‘citizenship’ marker to Montana driver licenses and IDs; agency says implementation is feasible

Sen. Theresa Manzella, R‑Bitterroot (SD 44), asked the House Judiciary Committee to consider Senate Bill 91, which would require Montana driver licenses and identification cards to display a citizenship marker (described in the bill as an image of an eagle) for applicants who are U.S. citizens beginning Jan. 1, 2026, and would require the Motor Vehicle Division to verify lawful presence for noncitizen applicants with the federal SAVE system or other federally approved verification tools.

Manzella said the bill was adopted by the Law and Justice Interim Committee and that the Jan. 1, 2026 date aligns with Real ID extensions. The department’s administrator, Lori Bakri, testified as an informational witness and told the committee the Motor Vehicle Division already uses many of the identity and status documents contemplated by statute and could implement the marking and verification requirements. Bakri said the division had worked to reduce estimated fiscal costs and that agency staffing and process changes would determine final costs.

Members discussed whether the SAVE system captures all lawfully present noncitizens and whether alternative documentation could be used to show lawful presence. Representative Staffman noted overlap with another bill that would provide driving‑privilege cards and suggested enumerating the list of acceptable documents if SAVE could not verify a given applicant. Bakri said the division already accepts many of those documents and implementation would be feasible.

The hearing record shows informational testimony and questions about implementation and costs; no committee vote was taken in the hearing.