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SB 13 Signed into law

Stop Illegal Immigrant Licenses

160 Democrats voted to honor illegal immigrant driver's licenses

What This Bill Does

SB 13 invalidates out-of-state driver's licenses that were issued to undocumented immigrants. Several states (including Massachusetts and Connecticut) have begun issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants — and those licenses were being used in New Hampshire. SB 13 says: if your license was issued under an illegal immigrant program, it is not valid in New Hampshire. Governor Ayotte signed it into law with an effective date of September 30, 2025. NH became the 2nd state in the nation to take this step.

The Full Story

The House passed SB 13 on a vote of 192-164. Only 2 Democrats voted to invalidate these licenses. The remaining 160 Democrats voted to continue honoring driver's licenses issued to illegal immigrants by other states.

The Senate passed it 15-8 on party lines. This is not about punishing immigrants — it's about whether New Hampshire should be forced to accept identification documents issued to people who are in the country illegally. Massachusetts began issuing these licenses in 2023 under the "Work and Family Mobility Act," despite 54% of Massachusetts voters voting to repeal the law in a ballot question.

Connecticut issues similar licenses. These licenses are then used in New Hampshire for driving, identification, and other purposes. SB 13 simply says: we don't have to accept them.

AP-NORC polling from January 2025 found 83% of Americans — including 79% of Democrats — support deporting undocumented immigrants convicted of violent crimes. The broader principle of enforcing immigration law has strong bipartisan support, yet NH Democrats voted against this common-sense measure.

Party Breakdown

Republicans

185 Yea

3 Nay · 25 Absent/NV

Democrats

2 Yea

160 Nay · 14 Absent/NV

What Voters Think

83% of Americans favor deporting undocumented immigrants convicted of violent crimes; 79% of Democrats agree

AP-NORC, January 2025

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