JACKSON -- U.S. Sen. John Barrasso introduced legislation Tuesday that would discourage states from issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants by withholding 10 percent of their federal highway funds.

Barrasso said people who enter and live in the United States illegally should not be issued state driver's licenses, citing concerns for national security as a main reason.

"It seems pretty simple to me," Barrasso, R-Wyo., said in a release. "We won't truly be serious about securing our borders and stopping illegal immigration until we stop the practice of issuing driver's licenses to the very individuals who are breaking our laws."

Although Wyoming does not issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, the issue has come to the forefront of discussions in Jackson, where the immigrant population is estimated at about 20 percent of the total population.

Earlier this year, a group called "Changing Community, Changing Faces" met in Jackson to discuss ways to bridge the cultural divide between Anglos and Latinos. One idea heavily favored by Latinos was having Teton County issue driver's licenses to immigrants, although police representatives said that was unlikely to happen.

Representatives of the driver's license task force of the Changing Faces group were not available for comment Tuesday.

Advocates for driver's licenses for illegal immigrants say it would provide more information about who is living in any given community, help undocumented residents better understand driving laws and road rules and help keep bad drivers off the road.

It would also require people to have insurance when obtaining a license -- something most illegal drivers do not have.

But Barrasso said the issue is one of security.

"Securing our borders is a chief responsibility of the federal government, along with protecting the homeland," Barrasso said. "I think it is time we stopped the practice of issuing official licenses to illegal immigrants."

Under Barrasso's bill, states would have to verify that each driver's license applicant is here legally. The bill would also redistribute the withheld dollars to states that follow the law.

Wyoming could gain more highway funding with the enactment of the bill, Barrasso's office said.

"More importantly, though, we are closing a loophole in the law that allows law breakers to gain a level of legal identification when none is deserved," Barrasso said.

The issue has become a hot topic nationwide, as New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer proposed the idea of issuing driver's licenses to illegals and was hammered by other elected officials in that state. His approval rating plummeted after he announced the plan.

Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has been pressured to declare a position on the issue but has not. Clinton has said she supports governors like Spitzer who try to address the national problem of immigration, but has refused to say whether she supports or opposes Spitzer's actual plan.

Reporter Whitney Royster can be reached at (307) 734-0260 or at royster@tribcsp.com.