Louisiana Driver's Licenses Will Carry an Eagle for Verified Citizens

How would a poll worker or a police officer know at a glance that the person in front of them is a U.S. citizen?

In Louisiana, the answer will be a small image of an eagle in flight.

HB613 requires every Louisiana driver's license to bear an image of an eagle in flight to signify that the applicant is a U.S. citizen, provided the applicant's citizenship has been verified. The same marker goes on state special identification cards.

The Office of Motor Vehicles writes the rules under the Administrative Procedure Act. Those rules set the design, placement, and format of the marker and the documents that prove citizenship. If the current OMV system cannot produce the new card, any future system upgrade or new card design must include the capability.

The eagle appears only when citizenship has been verified. That leaves two groups carrying cards without it: noncitizens, and citizens who have not yet verified. The OMV's documentation rules will decide how easy it is for a citizen to move from the second group to the first.

A citizenship marker on a card people hand over every day also carries a privacy question. The card shows status to every clerk who sees it. The OMV rules need to keep verification accurate, so no one receives the marker wrongly and no citizen is denied it.

HB613 changes a physical card. It creates no digital ID system.

IPS supports HB613. It gives citizens a simple way to show verified status and helps officials confirm citizenship for elections and law enforcement. The OMV rulemaking is where the safeguards will be written.

Rep. Dodie Horton (R) sponsored HB613 with nineteen House coauthors. It passed the House 72-29 and the Senate 27-9. Governor Jeff Landry signed it May 15, 2026, as Act 170. It took effect August 1, 2026.

An eagle on a license is a small image. The rules behind it decide who gets to carry one.

This is our read of the law. We encourage you to read it yourself and reach your own conclusions.