They might be able to use the driving card to cash a check or get auto insurance. But they won't be able to use at a government office or to buy a beer.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. signed Senate Bill 227 into law Tuesday - the day after roughly 2,000 adults and children marched around downtown in protest of the bill.

Under the law, state residents without a Social Security card will be stripped of their driver licenses and issued a driving card starting in July.

Beginning today, people without a Social Security number can apply for a driving card, which will not serve as a form of identification at any government entity.

While the bill made it through the Senate and later the House, Latino community activist and undocumented workers voiced their concerns about how people might discriminate against those with a driving card or how businesses might not approve of it.

Earl Dorius, regulatory director at the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, said under state law, people who want to buy alcohol must provide "proof of age" using one of four forms of identification. Those include a passport, an identification card or driver license from a U.S. state, or a military ID with a photo.

People who only show a driving card will not be able to buy alcohol, Dorius said Tuesday.

Some representatives from banks, check-cashing centers and insurance companies said they will welcome customers and potential customers who carry a driving card. Others, however, said they aren't sure whether they will accept the card.

Howard Headlee, Utah Bankers Association president, said in a statement that banks make their own policies on what forms of identification to accept. The group represents 56 banks statewide.

"Regardless of how this debate is resolved, Utah's banks will continue to find a way to provide their customers with high-quality, professional financial services," the statement released Tuesday reads.

Wells Fargo Bank will accept the driving card because it includes a photo, signature and expiration date, said Mark Chapman, a bank spokesman.

"It definitely meets our criteria," he said Tuesday.

Chapman said people with the driving card will be able to apply for a checking account or mortgage loan as if they had a driver license.

"As a financial institution, it's not our place to question whether a person is here legally or not," he said. "We're here to serve our customers."

Quik Check, a check-cashing and payday loan business with eight offices statewide, will accept the driving card as a form of identification because it is issued by the state, said Shaun Halbert, the company's regional manager.

Utah's 300 Farmers Insurance Group agents also will be ready to do business with folks with a driving card, said James Pursell, the company's state director. Farmers auto insurance rates, which depend on a person's driving record, will be the same for everyone, he said.

"If they walk into one of our offices, we'll accept that driving privilege card just like we do a driver license," Pursell said.

However, an Allstate Insurance Company spokesman said the company needs time to determine whether the card can serve as a valid driver license.

"We're looking at this for the first time; we need to review this further," said spokesman Joe Gacioch, who is based in Phoenix.

jsanchez@sltrib.com