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Senate advances bill to provide free birth certificates to people leaving prison
Summary
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted April 3 to advance Senate Bill 618, which requires DOC to provide certified birth certificates to people leaving prison at no cost.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 618 on April 3, a measure requiring the Department of Corrections to provide people leaving the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) with certified birth certificates at no cost to the recipient.
Heather Gaydos, manager of the DOC Reentry Services Unit, told the committee that the bill would make a longstanding administrative practice statutory and "give the department the opportunity to provide all three of the needed vital documents to Rhode Islanders for free." Gaydos said the DOC already helps submit hundreds of vital‑document applications each week and last year assisted nearly 300 birth‑certificate applications for people exiting ACI. The department also has agreements to provide free Social Security cards and DMV identification vouchers.
Supporters said access to a birth certificate is a critical step to securing housing, employment, benefits and other services on release. Committee members asked about whether any categories of people would be excluded; DOC representatives confirmed the bill language is intended to cover people exiting incarceration and clarified the department’s existing partnerships with federal and state agencies to expedite documentation.
The committee voted to move SB 618 to the Senate floor. No amendments were offered during the committee session.
Ending: SB 618 passed the committee and was reported out to the Senate floor for further consideration.
