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House committee hears SB 237 to allow online Social Security card replacement via DMV data sharing
Summary
SB 237 would let Alaska’s Department of Administration share driver‑license verification data with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators and permit nonprofit/tribal/government entities to perform verification so Alaskans can apply for replacement Social Security cards fully online; sponsor staff said implementation could take 4–6 weeks after enactment.
The House State Affairs Committee received a first hearing April 28 on Senate Bill 237, a companion to House Bill 213, which would change state law to let the Department of Administration share certain driver‑license verification data and enable a fully online Social Security card replacement process for Alaskans.
Jenna Calhoun, staff to Senator Kawasaki, presented the bill and said it would amend the cited Alaska statutes to permit the Department of Administration to share verification data with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) and to authorize data sharing with nonprofit, governmental or tribal entities when they carry out the verification required by AS 28.15 0.151. Calhoun said the amendment intentionally excludes for‑profit companies to protect private data. “Senator Kawasaki is not a fan of [allowing for‑profit access], mostly because when we’re dealing with the private data of Alaskans, we do not want to allow for profit companies access to that,” she said, referencing a proposed CLEAR amendment.
Calhoun told the committee Alaska is currently the only state that does not allow a fully online Social Security card replacement; she said more than 15,000 Alaskans each year need a replacement card and many must travel to Anchorage, Fairbanks or Juneau to complete the process. She said there is no new technology cost to implement the change and estimated implementation would take 4–6 weeks after enactment.
Committee members asked logistical and security questions. Vice Chair Story asked how quickly Alaskans could expect the online process after passage; Calhoun replied 4–6 weeks. Representative Holland asked about opening the process to for‑profit portals (for example, CLEAR); Calhoun said the sponsor opposes allowing for‑profit access because of privacy concerns and potential cost for users. No public testimony was offered at the hearing.
Chair Kerrick closed testimony and the committee set SB 237 aside to return for a future hearing. No vote was taken today.
