Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Utah Senate committee revives bill penalizing unlicensed drivers, allowing vehicle impoundment.
- Poll shows 48% of Utahns believe illegal immigration threatens public safety; 44% see economic harm.
- MacPherson's bill responds to law enforcement concerns, increasing penalties for unlicensed driving.
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah Senate committee resurrected a bill that would penalize driving without a license, four days after rejecting the same bill.
The Senate Transportation Committee favorably recommended HB392, Unlicensed Driver Amendments, in a narrow 4-3 vote Tuesday, with Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, appearing via Zoom at the last minute to vote "no."
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Matt MacPherson, R-West Valley City, would allow law enforcement to impound the car of an unlicensed driver, as is already done for reckless driving, DUIs and uninsured vehicles.
After the bill failed on Friday in a 3-3 vote, law enforcement representatives reached out to committee members to lobby for the bill, leading to committee chair Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, deciding to bring it back to life with three days left in the legislative session.
While the Senate has shown a hesitance to take up criminal enhancement bills from the House, on Tuesday Utah's bicameral Legislature appeared united in its attempt to respond to voter concerns about the security and economic consequences of surges in immigration.
Poll: Perceived impacts of immigration
A new Deseret News poll conducted in late February by HarrisX among 805 registered voters found that a plurality of Utahns believe that illegal immigration is harmful to public safety and economic well-being.
When voters were asked what impact "undocumented immigration" had on public safety in their area, 48% responded that it made their area "less safe," 31% said it had no impact and 9% said it made their area "more safe."
The negative perception of illegal immigration's impact on public safety is not bipartisan. While 61% of Republicans said their communities felt less safe, 61% of Democrats said it had no impact on public safety.
When voters were asked what impact undocumented immigration had on the economy of Utah, 44% responded that it "hurts" the state's economy, 29% said it improves the economy and 10% said it has no impact.
As historic numbers of immigrants entered the country over the last four years, totaling around 8 million people, the country experienced an increase in human trafficking, drug trafficking and anecdotes of gang activity.
While chaos at the border allowed millions of unvetted individuals into the country, a consensus of studies have found that immigrants who entered the country illegally are significantly less likely to commit violent and drug crimes than native-born Americans.
Many studies also show a positive relationship between immigration and economic growth.
The estimated 305,000 immigrants in Utah contributed a total $1.2 billion in state and local taxes in 2023, including $323 million coming from the 113,100 estimated undocumented immigrants, according to an American Immigration Council report.
However, a 2023 report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform found that "illegal immigrants" cost Utah taxpayers nearly $930 million each year for publicly funded programs in education, health care and criminal justice.
How does the driver license bill work?
MacPherson ran HB392 in response to concerns from law enforcement across the state that they couldn't ticket unlicensed drivers to enforce the law because many of the drivers had no form of identification.
In 2023, unlicensed drivers in MacPherson's home of West Valley made up nearly 50% of the 2,000 serious car crashes and nearly 50% of individuals identified in hit-and-runs were also unlicensed.
The bill would allow law enforcement to seize a vehicle without a warrant if the driver does not possess a driver's license, permit or privilege card, and would implement towing and identification requirements similar to those followed by police officers in cases of reckless driving or driving under the influence.
One of the biggest problems highlighted by law enforcement that the bill would have addressed was the inability for police to ticket these drivers because many of them do not have identification.
The bill would require police to take a quick fingerprint of an unlicensed driver and would increase the penalty for driving without a license from an infraction to a class C misdemeanor, or a class B misdemeanor for repeat offenders.
The bill would also increase the impoundment fee to retrieve a car from a tow yard from $425 to $600 and would add a minimum penalty of $500 for individuals that knowingly allow an unlicensed driver to drive their car.
The latest version of the bill would give law enforcement more discretion to seize a vehicle if an individual with a driving credential is available to pick up the vehicle with permission of the registered owner.
MacPherson's proposal is one of several law enforcement bills this legislative session framed by House Republicans as a response to four years of historic immigration.
Other bills would enhance penalties for human trafficking, fentanyl distribution, criminal reentry and would make immigrants charged with violent misdemeanors eligible for immediate deportation.
