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Committee hears bill to ease state ID access for minors raised by nonparents
Summary
Supporters told the House Environment and Transportation Committee that House Bill 15-39 would let minors obtain Maryland IDs when a nonparent caretaker can show school or medical records proving primary responsibility.
Alexis Brown, a legislative intern for Delegate Jamila Woods, asked the House Environment and Transportation Committee on April 1 to give House Bill 15-39 a favorable report. The bill would alter state procedures so minors can obtain a state identification card when a primary caretaker who is not a legal guardian can produce documentation showing they have acted as the child’s primary caregiver.
Brown said the bill was inspired by Omari Barnes, a Maryland teenager who has been raised by his paternal grandmother since age 2 and remains unable to obtain an identification card because the grandmother is not a legal guardian. Brown described barriers that she said also affect youth in foster care, youth experiencing homelessness, and those estranged from their guardians. "A state issued ID is not just a piece of plastic. It is a key to opportunity, independence, and self sufficiency," she told the panel.
Delegate Jamila Woods elaborated that Maryland Department of Transportation staff told the family that a DNA test for the father would resolve the issue because the father's name does not appear on the birth certificate and he has refused to provide a DNA sample. Woods and Brown said the grandmother has taken the child to medical appointments and enrolled him in school and that those records could demonstrate caregiving. Woods characterized the bill as an “emergency bill” meant to remove what supporters say are unnecessary procedural obstacles.
Committee members asked whether documentation such as school records or physician records would be acceptable evidence; Woods and Brown said those records exist and can be used. Vice Chair Boyce asked about MDOT's position; Woods said MDOT described the situation as "easily fixable" but had advised a DNA test as the remedy in the family's case.
The hearing concluded with no committee vote recorded on the bill during this session. Witnesses and legislators framed the issue as one of removing administrative barriers that prevent minors under stable caregiving arrangements from obtaining identification that proponents said is necessary for jobs, banking and other routine activities.
