BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 221
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Date of Hearing: April 27, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Jim Frazier, Chair
AB 221
(Dababneh) - As Amended April 21, 2015
SUBJECT: Mobile application: driver's licenses and
identification cards
SUMMARY: Directs the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to
establish a pilot program to develop and test a mobile
application that will display a digital driver's license (DDL).
Specifies that the DDL pilot program must meet certain timeline
requirements.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Authorizes DMV to issue a driver's license and/or an
identification card to a person, if certain requirements are
satisfied.
2)Requires a driver's license to provide specific information
including the licensee's true full name, age, mailing address,
a brief description, and an engraved picture of the licensee
for identification purposes.
3)Specifies an identification card is required to include an
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engraved picture of the applicant and provide information to
adequately describe the applicant.
4)At the federal level, the Real ID Act of 2005, includes
provisions to improve the security or driver's licenses and
identification cards.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS: In December of 2014, the Iowa Department of
Transportation (IDOT) announced they would be developing an
in-house pilot program (program) to test a smart phone
application that could display a person's driver's license in
digital form. The DDL program is designed to be carried out in
three phases including the application design phase, the IDOT
in-house testing phase, and ultimately, if feasible, full
implementation. IDOT is currently operating under the first
phase working with application developers, the Federal
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and local law enforcement
to develop an application that can be effectively used but also
meet stringent security standards. IDOT representatives have
indicated phase two is anticipated to roll out in late 2015 and
will encompass a test group of in-house IDOT staff being
provided a smart phone with the DDL application. This test group
will then use the DDL for approximately six months as a
supplement to their original driver's license for specific
program purposes.
While several other states are considering the idea of a DDL
pilot program, Iowa is the only state that is presently in the
development phase of a mobile DDL application. As the first
state to experiment with this technology, the IDOT established
the program with an extended timeline to ensure that the
development and testing of the DDL application incorporates the
proper security features and to also address several
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implementation concerns that have arisen since IDOT's DDL
announcement. These concerns surround how a mobile device will
be handled by law enforcement during a traffic stop, how
information will be stored on the application, and how the DDL
will comply with federal Real ID requirements. Being that IDOT
established the DDL pilot program under existing authority and
not through legislation, IDOT will have the flexibility to
extend the pilot program's timeline or cancel testing if the
abovementioned implementation issues remain unresolved.
AB 221 will require DMV, in consultation with relevant
stakeholders, to establish a DDL pilot program. Specifically,
AB 221 sets up a timeline requiring DMV to first work on
developing a mobile DDL application, second carry out in-house
testing, and third roll out full implementation by January 1,
2018. Thus, AB 221 sets up a rational timeline to evaluate the
feasibility of developing and issuing DDLs to applicants
receiving a driver's license. The author notes, "people use
their smart phones every day to read the news, shop online, and
check their bank accounts. Using a tool that people are
familiar with, like a mobile application, to store their primary
means of identification will be a useful option for
Californians."
Author's amendment: The author intends to amend the bill to
delay reporting and full implementation requirements by six
months and include a preliminary status update by DMV midway
through the in-house testing period.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
AB 221
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PayPal
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Manny Leon / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093