Expanded background screening measure approved for Utah driving privilege card applicants

New legislation that will expand background checks on undocumented immigrants who apply for a driving privilege card recently went into effect in Utah, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. A driving privilege card allows drivers to get auto insurance without having to prove legal residency. The change was introduced by Senator Curt Bramble, a Provo Republican, in response to a proposal by St. George Republican Steve Urquhart to eliminate the initiative. Under the legislation, new applicants and those looking to renew their cards will have to submit to an ID verification and fingerprinting process, the news source reports. "If they're an individual that is upholding the law, there should be no reason the fingerprints should be shared with anyone unless there is a felony or outstanding warrant," Nanette Rolfe, director of the Utah Department of Public Safety, said in a statement quoted by the news source. Applicants whose background screenings turn up a felony will have their information passed on to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Those with outstanding warrants will have their data sent to local police. Urquhart recently indicated that he will try to get the card eliminated again next session, the Deseret News reports.