Committee approves amendment to direct voluntary $2 driver’s‑license donation to existing fund for vision services
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Senators adopted an amendment to Senate Bill 10‑71 to route a voluntary $2 donation at driver’s‑license issuance into an existing organ‑donation fund to support eye exams and vision care for people who cannot afford them.
The Senate committee of the whole on Feb. 20 adopted an amendment to Senate Bill 10‑71 that would allow people to make a voluntary $2 donation when applying for a driver's license; the amendment specifies the money be deposited into an existing fund used to handle similar donations.
"The donation would go toward a non profit organization that would help people who are who can't afford to deal with an eye exam," Senator Hart explained when opening debate on the amendment. He said the amendment uses an existing fund that already handles donations and adds the vision donation language to the relevant part of Idaho code.
After remarks from the sponsor, the committee adopted the amendment by voice vote and returned Senate Bill 10‑71 as amended without recommendation. The transcript records voice votes as "ayes have it;" it does not include a roll‑call tally for the amendment or the committee report.
The amendment narrows a funding path by placing voluntary vision donations into an existing state fund rather than creating a new account, according to the floor explanation. The bill as amended was placed on the Senate second reading calendar.