Senate committee hears SB 237 to allow online Social Security card replacement; bill held for further hearings
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Summary
Senate staff presented SB 237, which would let the Department of Administration share driver‑license data with an AAMVA intermediary to verify identities so Alaskans could request replacement Social Security cards online; the Social Security Administration called in in support and the committee held the bill for further hearings.
Senate staff introduced Senate Bill 237 on Feb. 24, proposing statutory changes to permit the Department of Administration to share driver's license data with a verification intermediary used by motor vehicle administrators so Alaskans could apply online for replacement Social Security cards.
Jenna Calhoun, staff to Senator Kawasaki, said SB 237 would amend AS 28.05068 to allow sharing with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) for driver‑license data verification and would amend the statute she cited as AS 28.15151 to permit the department to convey data to a private entity that carries out verification functions. Calhoun said protections were added to limit recipients to nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, governmental entities, or tribal entities.
Calhoun emphasized the barrier to rural Alaskans: she told the committee that more than 15,000 Alaskans annually need replacement cards and that, under current practice, residents in many parts of the state must travel to SSA offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks or Juneau or mail original documents (a process she said can take up to 45 days). "Enacting SB 237 and enabling Alaskans to apply for a lost Social Security card online would eliminate several barriers rural Alaskans face," she said.
Dustin Brown, head of legislative affairs for the Social Security Administration, testified remotely in support and reinforced Calhoun’s points. Brown said Alaska is currently the only state that does not allow residents to request replacement Social Security cards online and told senators that online verification in other states typically processes in 7–10 days. He addressed data‑privacy concerns, saying the verification checks are initiated by individuals and that the nonprofit intermediary used by many motor vehicle administrations returns a true/false response without storing verification data.
The committee opened invited and public testimony; no in‑room or online public witnesses spoke. The committee chose to hold SB 237 for further hearings; no vote was taken on the bill at the Feb. 24 meeting.
The committee’s next meeting was announced for Feb. 26, when the agenda will include additional bills and presentations.
