DMV bill would let people leaving custody get licenses and permits as well as ID cards

The House Transportation committee heard testimony on April 1 about S326, a DMV miscellaneous motor-vehicle bill that would expand an existing program to issue credentials to people leaving custody and add new wording to cover detainees.

Nancy Prescott, director of operations at the DMV, told the committee, “I am here to talk about the section regarding inmate credentials and the addition of detainee credential/IDs.” She said DMV has run a no-charge program for people who have been sentenced to at least six months for about five years and that the new language would let the agency issue the highest credential the individual is eligible for, including permits and driver licenses.

The change is aimed at easing reentry. “The goal is to have the individual upon release to be leaving with a credential in their physical hands,” Prescott said, describing a partnership in which the Department of Corrections (DOC) compiles photos, signatures and identifying documents and sends DMV a weekly list of scheduled releases.

Monique Sullivan, Department of Corrections operations manager, explained the distinction between people who are serving a sentence and detainees not yet sentenced: “In the past it's been for individuals who've been sentenced to serve at least 6 months,” she said; she and other witnesses noted some detainees can be held for extended periods depending on case circumstances. Lisa Summer, DOC director of communications, added that “the court sets the conditions for someone to be detained in a correctional facility prior to trial,” underlining why release timing can be unpredictable.

For people who have served six months or more, DOC supplies the documentation and DMV mails credentials to the facility so a person can leave custody with the necessary papers. For detainees, Prescott said the agency is developing a separate process because DOC cannot reliably predict release dates; detainees are to receive a packet of documents on release and are expected to visit DMV afterward to complete credentialing at no charge.

Committee members pressed for details about eligibility and timing. DMV staff explained that if a prior license expired more than three years ago, an individual must retest and may begin with a permit; the special credentials issued under the release process are valid two years. Prescott said DMV will issue a non-driver or a “privileged” card if full documentation is not already on file; if the records are present, DMV will match them and issue the highest eligible credential.

Members also raised a procedural question: the committee was told that nearly identical language is included in H549 (a House Institutions and Corrections bill). Lawmakers asked whether the provision should remain in the DMV statutory title or reside in Corrections statutes and which vehicle would be most likely to pass first.

On scale and cost, DMV estimated the existing program issues about 500 non-driver IDs per year and that the expansion would help roughly 40 additional individuals annually; printing a physical credential costs about $3, not including staff time or mailing. Committee members repeatedly emphasized that the change is intended to remove barriers to employment and services for people leaving custody.

The committee took no vote on S326 at the hearing and adjourned after questioning and discussion. Members said they would resolve procedural questions about H549 and the bill’s placement before the legislation moves forward.