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Committee advances update to Sarah Stitt Act to prioritize driver’s licenses on release
Summary
Representative Hill presented a bill to update the Sarah Stitt Act so returning citizens receive a driver’s license (when eligible) before a state ID, aiming to improve employment outcomes and reduce recidivism; the committee advanced the bill unanimously to subcommittee.
Representative Hill presented what he described as “restorative workforce legislation,” an update to the Sarah Stitt Act that directs returning citizens to receive a driver’s license first when eligible, rather than a state‑issued ID. Hill said the original Sarah Stitt Act provides documents to people on their first day out of incarceration to help them find jobs and housing and that prioritizing a driver’s license (when the person is eligible) increases the chance of rapid employment.
Hill asserted a linkage between having a driver’s license and lower recidivism: “What we know, is that if you get the driver's license in the hand, someone is 90% less likely to recidivize because they're able to get a job within the first 21 days,” he said. He also stated that the bill already accounts for individuals who are ineligible for a driver’s license because of certain offenses; in those cases the person would receive a state‑issued ID as currently provided under the statute.
Representative Turner asked whether suspensions for things such as failure to pay fines would affect the outcome; Hill clarified that if a person’s driver’s license is suspended for reasons that make them ineligible, the person would receive a state‑issued ID instead. The committee voted 5-0 to advance the bill to subcommittee.
