Drivers license flying eagle as a citizenship symbol goes to Louisiana Senate despite some concerns

Published: March 31, 2026

By: Izzy Wollfarth, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE – A House bill that would require the Office of Motor Vehicles to add an image of a flying eagle to a driver’s license as a symbol of verified U.S. citizenship easily advanced to the Senate on a 71-29 vote.

“Any time I can brag about being a United States citizen, I love it,” said Rep. Dodie Horton, R-Haughton, the author of House Bill 613.

Horton reflected on her status as a U.S. citizen when proposing her bill, requiring an eagle to be added to Louisiana drivers’ licenses and special identification cards as a mark of U.S. citizenship.

The bill advanced to the House floor on an 8-5 vote by the Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee, with the added comment by Rep. Patricia Moore, D-Monroe, that it would soften difficulties in obtaining proof of citizenship papers under the SAVE America Act.

But on the House floor ahead of Monday’s vote, Horton said motor vehicle agencies already know who is a U.S. citizen and who is not. At the time of a license renewal, people will opt to have the eagle on their license or they won’t, she said.

Read more at WBRZ.