Amended in Assembly April 21, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 221

Introduced by Assembly Member Dababneh

February 3, 2015

An act to add Article 6 (commencing with Section 13020) to Chapter 1 of Division 6 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 221, as amended, Dababneh. Mobile application: driver’s licenses and identification cards.

Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue to a person a driver’s license as applied for when the department determines that the applicant is lawfully entitled to a license. Existing law requires the license to state specified information, including the true full name, age, and mailing address of the licensee and a brief description and engraved picture or photograph of the licensee for the purpose of identification.

Existing law authorizes the department to issue an identification card to any person attesting to his or her true full name, correct age, and other identifying data as certified by the applicant for the identification card.

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This bill would authorize the department to develop a mobile application whereby a person may access a digital copy of his or her driver’s license or identification card issued by the department. The bill would state that a person is required to apply to the department for a secure personal identification number (PIN) in order to obtain access to his or her digital driver’s license or identification card. The bill would require that a digital driver’s license or identification card presented on the mobile application developed pursuant to these provisions be accepted as a valid government-issued identification.

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This bill would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to conduct a pilot project to test the effectiveness of utilizing best practice standards for the assessment of creating a digital mobile driver’s license application for smartphone use. The bill would require the pilot project to use an assessment protocol or process developed by the Department of Motor Vehicles in collaboration with other stakeholders to execute the pilot project. The bill would require the department to solicit participation in the pilot project by Department of Motor Vehicles and Department of Transportation employees on or before April 1, 2016, and would require that those employees be selected and begin operation of the pilot project on or before July 1, 2016. The bill would require the department to report the status of the project to the California State Assembly on or before July 1, 2017, and to have full implementation of the application on or before July 1, 2018.

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Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Article 6 (commencing with Section 13020) is
added to Chapter 1 of Division 6 of the Vehicle Code, to read:

 

Article 6.  Mobile Application

 

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13020.  

(a) The department may develop a mobile application
whereby a person may access a digital copy of his or her driver’s
license or identification card issued by the department.

(b) In order to obtain access to his or her digital driver’s license
or identification card on the mobile application, a person shall
apply to the department for a secure personal identification number
(PIN). A person with a PIN from the department may use the PIN
to access his or her digital driver’s license or identification on the
mobile application.

(c) A digital driver’s license or identification card presented on
the mobile application developed pursuant to subdivision (a) shall
be accepted as a valid government-issued identification.

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begin insert 13020. end insert   

(a) The department shall conduct a pilot project to test
the effectiveness of utilizing best practice standards for the
assessment of creating a digital mobile driver’s license application
for smartphone use.

(b) The pilot project shall meet all of the following conditions:

(1) On or before April 1, 2016, the department shall solicit
participation in the pilot project by Department of Motor Vehicles
and Department of Transportation employees. Department of
Motor Vehicles and Department of Transportation employees shall
be selected and begin operation of the pilot project on or before
July 1, 2016.

(2) The pilot project shall use an assessment protocol or process
developed by the Department of Motor Vehicles in collaboration
with other stakeholders to execute the pilot project.

(3) On or before July 1, 2017, the Department of Motor Vehicles
will report the status of the pilot project to the California State
Assembly. The report shall be submitted in compliance with Section
9795 of the Government Code. The requirement for submitting a
report imposed by this paragraph is inoperative on January 1,
2018, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code.

(4) On or before January 1, 2018, full implementation of digital
mobile driver’s license application for smartphone use will go into
effect.

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