1. United States
2. Utah
3. Letter

I urge you to oppose HB187, Representative Trevor Lee's bill to eliminate Utah's driver privilege card program. This legislation would devastate small businesses across our state while making our roads less safe. Since 2005, Utah's driver privilege card program has ensured that 33,923 current cardholders are vetted, tested, insured drivers. Ending this program on May 6, 2026, would immediately remove thousands of workers from Utah's workforce. Small businesses in construction, hospitality, agriculture, and service industries depend on these workers who have proven their identity, passed driving tests, and obtained insurance. Without the ability to legally drive to work, these employees would disappear overnight, leaving businesses scrambling to fill positions in an already tight labor market. The economic damage extends beyond workforce disruption. The bill's provision presuming those in the country illegally are automatically at fault in crashes creates an insurance nightmare. The second substitute's allowance for selling insurance to unlicensed drivers is contradictory and unworkable. How can insurance function when one party is presumed guilty regardless of circumstances? This provision alone would increase costs and complications for all Utah drivers and businesses operating vehicle fleets. Senator Luz Escamilla correctly identifies this as a public safety issue. The program serves not only immigrants in the country illegally but also those here legally on work and student visas. Eliminating it means more unlicensed, uninsured, and untested drivers on Utah roads. The 8,206 new cards issued in 2025 represent people who chose to follow our state's requirements rather than drive illegally. Utah created this program in 2005 because it made practical sense. Eighteen other states plus Washington, D.C., maintain similar programs for the same reason. Representative Lee's claim that Utah is "the only red state" with such a program ignores states like Nevada and Virginia. This bill uses immigration enforcement as justification to harm Utah businesses and compromise road safety. I ask you to vote against HB187 in all its versions.