The bill amends Sections 61-5-111 and 61-12-501 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to require that driver's licenses and identification cards issued to U.S. citizens display an image of an eagle, signifying their citizenship status, starting January 1, 2026. Specifically, Section 61-5-111 is updated to include this requirement for driver's licenses, while Section 61-12-501 mandates the same for identification cards. Additionally, the bill clarifies that the department must verify the lawful presence of non-citizen applicants using federal verification programs.

The legislation also includes various technical amendments, such as changing "upon" to "on" in several instances, and it emphasizes that the agency should implement these changes within existing resources. The bill aims to enhance the identification process by clearly indicating citizenship status on official documents, thereby improving the integrity of identification in the state. The provisions of this act will apply to any driver's license or identification card issued on or after the specified date in 2026.

Statutes affected:
SB0091_1(1): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_1(2): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_1(3): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_1(4): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_1(5): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_1(6): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_1(7): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_1(8): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_1: 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_2(1): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_2(10): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_2(11): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_2(12): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_2(2): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_2(3): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_2(4): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_2(5): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_2(6): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_2(7): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_2(8): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_2(9): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_2: 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_3(1): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_3(10): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_3(11): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_3(12): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_3(2): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_3(3): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_3(4): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_3(5): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_3(6): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_3(7): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_3(8): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_3(9): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_3: 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_X(1): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_X(2): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_X(3): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_X(4): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_X(5): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_X(6): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_X(7): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_X(8): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_X(9): 61-5-111, 61-12-501
SB0091_X: 61-5-111, 61-12-501
LC Text: 61-5-111, 61-12-501