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. AB 1733 Page 2 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 AB 1733 Page 3 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 AB 1733 Page 4 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 Page 5 None on file Analysis Prepared by : Manny Leon / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093