BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1733
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Date of Hearing: April 28, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
AB 1733 (Quirk-Silva) - As Amended: April 21, 2014
SUBJECT : Public records: fee waiver
SUMMARY : Requires each county registrar or recorder to issue,
without a fee, a certificate of live birth and requires the
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to issue, without a fee, an
identification card (ID) to applicants who can provide
sufficient proof of their housing status as homeless.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires each county registrar or recorder to issue a birth
certificate, free of charge, to an applicant who certifies and
provides sufficient evidence that they are a homeless person.
2)Requires the State Department of Public Health (DPH) to
develop an affidavit to be used by an applicant for a birth
certificate to attest to their status as homeless.
3)Requires DMV, on and after January 1, 2016, to issue an
original or replacement ID, free of charge, to an applicant
who can verify their status as a homeless person, youth, or
child, as defined.
4)Permits a homeless service provider, as defined, to verify a
person's housing status for purposes of receiving an ID
without charge.
5)Specifies that no fee shall be charged to the applicant of an
ID for verification of their eligibility.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Authorizes DMV to issue an ID card to any person who provides
their true full name, correct age, and any other identifying
data as required by DMV.
2)Provides that every application for an ID card be signed and
verified by the applicant, as specified, and requires the
applicant to provide a legible thumb or finger print.
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3)Allows any person 62 years of age or older, to apply for and
receive an ID card bearing the notation "Senior Citizen" if
specific requirements are met.
4)Establishes a $26 fee to be paid to DMV for the issuance of an
ID card.
5)Specifies that the issuance of an original or replacement ID
card for a senior citizen shall be issued free of charge.
6)Specifies that the fee for issuance of an original or
replacement ID card shall be $6 for an applicant that can
provide proof of eligibility for public assistance programs,
as specified.
7) At the federal level, defines homeless as an individual
or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate
nighttime residence or who will imminently lose his or her
primary nighttime residence and has identified no
subsequent residence.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : According to the author, many people experiencing
homelessness lack the necessary forms of personal identification
needed to establish their eligibility for various public
assistance and social programs. The most common forms of ID
that people need in order to access these programs are birth
records and a valid, government-issued photo ID.
The base fee for a copy of a birth certificate is $12 and
counties are allowed to raise the fee to cover the costs of
modernizing vital record operations and improving the collection
and analysis of health related birth and death certificate
information. Costs vary from county to county with the average
cost to receive a copy of a birth certificate falling between
$23 and $28. According to DPH they do not currently have a
process in place to provide a free or reduced cost birth
certificate.
DMV offers a reduced fee ID to applicants who have been
identified by a governmental or non-profit agency as meeting the
income eligibility requirements for certain specified assistance
programs. Outside of the cost, there is no difference between
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the reduced-fee ID and the ID issued to applicants that pay the
full amount. A government or non-profit agency must contact DMV
to request the verification paperwork and confirm that a
customer's income meets the requirements for a reduced-fee ID.
The agency will complete the paperwork which is provided to the
customer to bring into their local DMV field office for
processing. Currently, the reduced fee ID card is $8. In the
12 months ending November 2013, DMV issued a total of 143,726
reduced fee IDs, of which 34,193 were original IDs and the rest
were renewals.
The provisions in this bill are consistent with statutes in
other states that provide homeless persons the opportunity to
obtain a government-issued ID at a discounted rate or free of
charge. Nevada, for example, provides a one-time fee waiver
for an applicant that can sufficiently provide proof of their
homeless status. In Illinois, upon verification by a human
services, legal services, or government authorized employee of
their homeless status, an applicant may receive an ID free of
charge.
Similarly, this bill allows a person experiencing homelessness
to submit an affidavit of homelessness with an application for
birth certificate and DMV-issued ID and provides a process by
which the associated fees can be waived.
In support of this bill, Housing California writes that people
experiencing homelessness are often without the resources to pay
for a certified birth certificate or state identification card.
Their inability to access programs designed to improve their
self-sufficiency allows homelessness to persist, in turn,
holding individuals back and costing cities, counties, and the
state millions of dollars in emergency resources.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Housing California (Sponsor)
Aspiranet
California Church IMPACT
California Coalition for Youth
California Coalition for Youth
California Communities United Institute
California Mental Health Directors Association
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California Mental Health Planning Council
California Mental Health Planning Council
California Police Chiefs Association
Central Coast HIV/AIDS Services
Century Housing
Coalition of California Welfare Right Organizations, Inc.
Compass Family Services
Corporation for Supportive Housing
Cottage Housing Inc.
County of Santa Clara
County Welfare Directors Association of California
County Welfare Directors Association of California
First Place for Youth
General Assistance Advocacy Project
Kern County Homeless Collaborative
Kings/Tulare Continuum of Care on Homelessness
Larkin Street Youth Services
LINC Housing
Loaves & Fishes
NASW California Chapter
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and
Youth
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of Social Workers - California Chapter
Paratransit
Pathway of Hope
People Assisting the Homeless
Project Homeless Connect
River City Food Bank
Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee
Sacramento Housing Alliance
Sacramento LGBT Community Center
Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness
SEIU Local 1000
Skid Row Housing Trust
Sonoma County Task Force for the Homeless
St. Mary's Center
Swords of Plowshares
United Way Silicon Valley
Western Center on Law & Poverty
Woman Haven Inc.
55 Individuals
Opposition
AB 1733
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None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Manny Leon / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093