M E M O R A N D U M RE: Hardship Waivers for IDs in Pennsylvania DATE: January 29, 2015 Executive Summary In November 2013, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Act 89 (formerly House Bill 1060) a new transportation infrastructure law to provide funds to be used for infrastructure repairs. These funds will be generated through a set of fee increases, as well as an increase in taxes on gas. The PENNDOT fee increases resulting from this passage took effect on April 1, 2014, with a second set of fee increases taking effect on July The complete set of fee increases is provided in the Appendices, and a focused set is included below. Reason Original Fee Increase New Fee Obtaining or replacing a photo identification card $13.50 $14.00 $27.50 Certified copies of records (i.e. birth certificate) $10.00 $10.00 $20.00 Despite the fact such identification is essential for obtaining vital social services, employment, and housing, these fee increases have rendered the cost of obtaining these ID out of reach for many low-income residents. CEO was asked assemble a team of organizations to initialize a process for implementing a hardship waiver for low-income residents. This memo details states’ handle hardship waivers for IDs and birth certificates. Cost of Photo ID by State Pennsylvania charges $27.50 for photo identification, which is the 6th highest cost of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The mean cost for all states and D.C. is 7 More than $25 $17.50, while the median cost is $16. 10 $21-25 This fee increase puts the cost of obtaining ID out of reach $16-20 8 for many low-income residents, but identification is often 16 $10-15 essential to obtain vital social services, employment or 10 Less than $10 housing. Without a waiver system to combat the fee increases from PENNDOT, low-income individuals in Pennsylvania will have few options to afford ID. Cost Number States More than $25 7 Hawaii, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, California, Florida $21-25 8 Alabama, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Nevada, Nebraska $16-20 10 Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, Montana, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont $10-15 16 Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York State, North Carolina Less than $10 10 Tennessee, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, North Dakota, South Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kansas 18 states, including Pennsylvania, have no fee reductions/waivers for any reason. 33 states, including the District of Columbia, as detailed below, have a reduction/waiver for specific reason, the most prevalent being based on age (usually around 60-65). 33 states (including the District of Columbia) have a hardship waiver of some kind, as compared to 18 states, including Pennsylvania, that have no waivers. 16 states have a waiver based on age, which makes the most common type of waiver. 12 states have a waiver for individuals with disabilities – the second most common type of waiver. 10 states offer a hardship waiver in more than one category shown. Reason Count States Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Age-based 17 New Mexico, New York State, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, Nevada, North Carolina, Minnesota, Michigan, Oklahoma Benefits 4 eligibility Michigan, Florida, California, Vermont, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arizona, Maryland, New York Disability 12 State, Utah, Ohio, Georgia Homelessness 7 Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, North Carolina, California, Nevada, Illinois Voting 5 Indiana, Kansas, Tennessee, , Wisconsin, Georgia Ex-offenders 3 Colorado, District of Columbia, North Carolina States without Waivers None 18 Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming, Hawaii, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Delaware Of the 5 states that charge more than PA, 3 states offer a hardship waiver – 2 of which are based on benefits. 33 states provide a hardship waiver, yet Pennsylvania does not, though we hope to establish a fee waiver based on age, for individuals over 60 years old, and benefits eligibility, for individuals eligible for SNAP. Many states offer a fee waiver or reduction for specific populations, though a few states have broader qualifications, like Michigan and Kansas. Michigan’s waiver allows almost anyone to waive the fee, provided that they can establish “good cause.” This runs contrary to the policies of other states’ allowance for fee waivers for specific populations only, such as those experiencing homelessness. This flexibility in who can have the fee waived would allow for low-income individuals access identification, even if they are currently not enrolled in services, which can be an obstacle itself without identification. Kansas also offers an elegant solution to the “catch-22” many individuals face in working to obtain identification: in order to get one form of identification, one must produce an additional form of identification, such as a birth certificate. A fee waiver for identification is by no means unprecedented. In fact, many states have successfully enacted fee waivers in order to assist vulnerable populations access the identification they need to gain employment, permanent housing, health insurance and/or treatment in addition to the many other day-to-day activities that require identification. ■ M E M O R A N D U M RE: Hardship Waivers for IDs in Pennsylvania DATE: January 29, 2015 Although many states offer some sort of fee reduction/waiver based on age, this memo will focus on the other reasons for existing waivers. In the states detailed here, most waiver programs are operated in a similar way. Individuals who wish to waive a fee must still supply the same additional forms of identification, which many people may not have. In addition to the usual requirements, individuals who wish to waive the fee must fill out a form that varies from state to state, but is usually required to be signed by an official from a shelter, in the case of a homelessness waiver, or proves that the applicant is a recipient of a state assistance program. This memo will examine the types of waiver systems in place in eight different states, including the enactment and application processes as well as the specific population targeted by state/waiver. Contact information for relevant organizations/individuals is provided by state, as well as a copy (where available) of the waiver itself is included in the Appendices. States of interest: Michigan Background: According to Michigan law [MCL 28.292(14)] enacted in 2010,1 the Michigan Department of State (MDOS) waives the fees for a State of Michigan Personal Identification Card (PID) for applicants who present “good cause”. This includes four specific instances of good cause: individuals 65 or over; those who are legally blind; those who wish to add or remove a heart insignia; and drivers whose licenses have been suspended because of a physical or mental disability. Process: The statute also allows the fee to be waived for "a person who presents other good cause for a fee waiver." Michigan Department of State (MDOS) has identified four instances, in addition to the four statutorily mandated instances, of good cause in which it will waive the $10 PID fee in accordance with MCL 28.292(14)(d): MDOS will waive the $10 PID fee for individuals who provide documentary evidence (as specified by MDOS) showing that the applicant is currently receiving benefits from one of the following programs: Michigan Department of Human Services Family Independence Program (FIP) (aka TANF) Michigan Department of Human Services State Disability Assistance (SDA) Social Security Administration Social Security Disability Insurance Program (SSDI) Social Security Administration Supplemental Security Income Program (SSI) If not receiving these benefits, but still unable to pay the fee, an individual can ask the Secretary of State (SOS) to waive the fee for “good cause”. The local office cannot grant this kind of waiver, so the request will be sent to Lansing, which may take upwards of two weeks to make a decision. The applicant must bring proof of income and expenses to show that he or she cannot afford the fee. If the applicant receives Food Assistance benefits, he or she may be able to use the document from the Department of Human Services that states the amount of his or her current Food Assistance benefits, which shows how much total income (gross income) he or she earns, according to DHS. The appendices include Michigan’s supporting documentation in the form of a Request and Certification for Michigan Personal ID Card Fee – Unable to Pay. Michigan Contacts: The Center for Civil Justice at [email protected] O: (810) 244 - 8044 / Toll Free: 800-724-7441 Online Resources for Organizations who assist in procuring IDs: http://michid.org/welcome 1 http://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,1607,7-127-1627_8668_9059-228283--,00.html California Background: California offers a reduced fee ID card for those receiving public assistance as well as a fee waiver for those experiencing homelessness. The reduced fee ID card has a fee of $6, while the standard cost is $28. Individuals who meet eligibility requirements for public assistance programs can receive an original or a replacement ID card for the reduced fee of $6, instead of $28. In early 2014, Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva introduced a bill (AB 1733) to establish a fee waiver for people experiencing homelessness that need to obtain either a certified copy of their birth record from the Department of Public Health or a state identification card from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Since then, this bill has passed out of the California Assembly Health Committee with unanimous support, and was enrolled and presented to the Governor, and signed by the Governor on September 29, 2014.