STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2698

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2456

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 2456 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO IDENTIFICATION CARDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the issuance of limited purpose identification cards for individuals who otherwise satisfy the requirements for a government-issued identification card except for the individual's inability or refusal to provide satisfactory proof of authorized presence in the United States under federal law.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation, Department of Customer Services of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawai‘i Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Hawai‘i Friends of Civil Rights, The Legal Clinic, Parents and Children Together, and six individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that in 2015, the Legislature authorized the issuance of limited purpose driver's licenses, limited purpose provisional driver's licenses, and limited purpose instruction permits to individuals who otherwise satisfy the requirements for a driver's license, provisional driver's license, or instruction permit except for the individual's inability or refusal to provide satisfactory proof of authorized presence in the United States under the federal REAL ID Act.

Your Committee further finds that the State does not similarly provide residents who do not drive and are unable to meet the requirements for a REAL ID-compliant identification card with the ability to access state-issued identification. This issue impacts several demographic groups, including young adults, elderly persons, houseless persons, undocumented immigrants, and lawfully present non-immigrants, and is exacerbated by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, since proof of identification is required for entry into many public venues. Authorizing the issuance of limited purpose identification cards will improve access for residents of the State, including marginalized or disadvantaged residents.

Accordingly, this measure will provide greater access to a wide range of services for marginalized persons and others by providing an alternate form of identification.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Aligning the limited purpose identification card application process with that of the limited purpose driver's license under section 286-104.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

(2) Clarifying the identity of the federal department associated with the issuance of deferred action for childhood arrival approval letters;

(3) Adding as acceptable documentation certain documents issued to incarcerated persons upon their release;

(4) Deleting the reference to the Department of Transportation as providing direction to the examiner of drivers, to clarify the measure's county-wide application; and

(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2456, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2456, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Government Operations,

________________________________

SHARON MORIWAKI, Chair