BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1733
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 7, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 1733 (Quirk-Silva) - As Amended: April 21, 2014
Policy Committee:
TransportationVote:16-0
Health Vote: 9-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: Yes
SUMMARY
This bill requires each county registrar or recorder to issue
birth certificates, without a fee, and requires the DMV to
issue, without a fee, an identification card (ID) to applicants
who can provide sufficient proof of their housing status as
homeless.
It also requires the Department of Public Health to develop an
affidavit attesting to the fact that a person is homeless, for
use by county registrars.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)One-time costs in the range of $150,000 to the Department of
Motor Vehicles (Motor Vehicle Account) for programming costs
to allow for the no-fee ID card, processing and mailing of
additional ID cards, revision of publications and forms,
establishment of regulations, and development and issuance of
memorandum to staff.
2)In January 2013, there were approximately 136,000 homeless
individuals in California. If 5% of these individuals
requested an identifying document in a given year, costs of:
a) $250,000 GF in state-reimbursable mandate costs to
account for lost revenue to counties and additional
workload.
b) Minor revenue loss and additional workload, likely
around $100,000 statewide (Motor Vehicle Account) to DMV to
AB 1733
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provide free ID cards.
3)Local registrars have noted concerns with potential abuse of
the no-cost option with self-certification of homelessness.
This cost estimate does not account for any potential for
fraud and abuse.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . 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 card. This bill will allow a person experiencing
homelessness to submit an affidavit of homelessness and
financial need with an application for birth certificate or a
state-issued ID, providing a process by which these fees can
be waived.
2)Support . This bill is supported by numerous advocates for
homeless and low-income persons.
3)Concerns . Counties have concerns with potential revenue losses
suffered as a result of this bill, and also indicate potential
for fraud and abuse if a no-cost option is offered with no
required verification besides self-attestation. They indicate
birth certificates are expensive, between $25 and $30, and
point out non-homeless individuals might be tempted to
indicate they are homeless in order to receive a free birth
certificate.
Analysis Prepared by : Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916) 319-2081