BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 1733
                                                                  Page  1

          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 








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          None on file
           

          Analysis Prepared by  :   Manny Leon / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093