HB347 (2006) Detail

(New Title) relative to indicating citizenship on drivers’ licenses and nondrivers’ identification cards.


HB 347 – AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

01Feb2006… 0236h

01Feb2006… 0446h

2005 SESSION

05-0583

03/01

HOUSE BILL 347

AN ACT relative to indicating citizenship on drivers’ licenses and nondrivers’ identification cards.

SPONSORS: Rep. Lund, Rock 5; Rep. Hopfgarten, Rock 5

COMMITTEE: Election Law

AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill requires that drivers’ licenses and nondrivers’ identification cards indicate whether the holder is a United States citizen.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

01Feb2006… 0236h

01Feb2006… 0446h

05-0583

03/01

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Five

AN ACT relative to indicating citizenship on drivers’ licenses and nondrivers’ identification cards.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Identification Cards; Citizenship. Amend RSA 260:21, II-III to read as follows:

II. The department shall, before issuing a card to an applicant, require the applicant to furnish proof of his or her name, sex, age, citizenship, and address of residence.

III. The identification card shall bear the name, address, [social security] identification number, date of birth, blood type (optional), picture, and signature of the applicant, an indication of whether or not the applicant is a United States citizen, and in the case of a card issued pursuant to RSA 260:21, I(c), said card shall bear the notation “Golden Granite State Discount Card.’’

2 New Section; Issuance of Drivers’ Licenses; Evidence of Citizenship. Amend RSA 263 by inserting after section 5-c the following new section:

263:5-d Evidence of Citizenship. Before the department issues any license to any person under this chapter, the department shall have examined evidence of the person’s citizenship. The department shall keep a record of the type of evidence on which it relied but shall not keep on file a copy of such evidence or any information contained therein other than the information required under RSA 260:21, II and III.

3 Drivers’ Licenses; Form of License. Amend RSA 263:40 to read as follows:

263:40 Form of License. The commissioner shall, upon payment of the required fee, issue to every applicant a driver’s license subject to such conditions as the commissioner may deem expedient and in such form as the commissioner may prescribe. The license shall bear thereon a distinguishing number assigned to the licensee, an indication of whether or not the licensee is a United States citizen, and an instant full-face color photograph, image, or likeness of the licensee. There shall also be provided a space wherein the licensee may enter his or her blood type if [he] the licensee so desires.

4 Commercial Driver License; Information Included. Amend RSA 263:91, I(i)-(j) to read as follows:

(i) The name of this state; [and]

(j) The expiration date; and

(k) Whether or not the licensee is a United States citizen.

5 Contingency. If HB 345 of the 2006 regular session becomes law, sections 1-4 of this act shall take effect 60 days after its passage. If HB 345 of the 2006 regular session does not become law, sections 1-4 of this act shall not take effect.

6 Effective Date.

I. Sections 1-4 of this act shall take effect as provided in section 5 of this act.

II. The remainder of this act shall take effect upon its passage.

LBAO

05-0583

2/16/06

HB 347 FISCAL NOTE

AN ACT relative to indicating citizenship on drivers’ licenses and nondrivers’ identification cards.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The Department of Safety has determined this bill, as amended by the House (Amendments #2006-0236h and #2006-0446h), will increase state highway fund expenditures by $61,000 in FY 2006. There will be no fiscal impact on state, county and local revenue or county and local expenditures.

METHODOLOGY:

    The Department states this bill requires the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to indicate citizenship on drivers’ licenses and non-drivers’ identification cards, and requires the DMV to keep a record of the type of evidence of a person’s citizenship on which it relied, but not keep on file a copy of such evidence. The Department states this would require reprogramming both the DMV’s mainframe software and the licensing software used to produce the drivers’ licenses and non-drivers’ identification cards. The Department states the mainframe reprogramming would have to be completed by an outside vendor because the Office of Information Technology does not have resources available for additional projects. The licensing reprogramming would have to be completed by the current outside vendor that supplied the equipment and software used to produce the licenses and identification cards because that vendor retains ownership of the software. The DMV estimates the cost to reprogram the mainframe and interface the changes with the licensing equipment would be $27,000 (180 hours x $150 per hour = $27,000). A cost estimate from the licensing vendor to add a single digit field for the U.S. citizenship indicator on licenses and identification cards is $34,000. Therefore, the Department estimates this bill will increase state highway fund expenditures by $61,000 in FY 2006.