03/16/2023 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

         HB  53-STATE IDENTIFICATION CARD FOR PRISONERS                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:21:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW  announced that  the next order  of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL NO. 53, "An  Act relating to state identifications and                                                               
driver's licenses  for persons in  the custody of  the Department                                                               
of Corrections;  relating to  the duties  of the  commissioner of                                                               
corrections; and providing for an effective date."                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:22:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ANDREW  GRAY,  Alaska  State  Legislature,  prime                                                               
sponsor, presented HB  53.  He paraphrased  the sponsor statement                                                               
[included  in  the  committee  packet],  which  read  as  follows                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     House Bill 53 provides  easier access to identification                                                                    
     cards  for reentrants  upon release,  granting them  an                                                                    
     important tool  for reintegration.  HB 53  will require                                                                    
     the Department  of Administration  to issue a  state ID                                                                    
     to   all  reentrants   who  are   serving  a   term  of                                                                    
     imprisonment  over  120  days who  would  otherwise  be                                                                    
     released without a valid ID.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Individuals are required to present  a valid form of ID                                                                    
     in  order to  gain new  employment, apply  for housing,                                                                    
     drive a  car, open a  bank account, travel,  purchase a                                                                    
     phone, apply  for Medicaid, social  security, obtaining                                                                    
     medication,  and registering  to  vote. The  lack of  a                                                                    
     valid  ID  could  cause  a  reentrant  to  reoffend  or                                                                    
     violate their conditions of release.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     Reentry  is   an  essential  part  of   public  safety.                                                                    
     Ensuring   reentrants   are  supported   during   their                                                                    
     transitional period helps  improve community well-being                                                                    
     and  public  safety.  By providing  reentrants  with  a                                                                    
     valid  form of  identification  upon  their release  we                                                                    
     also provide the individual with an essential tool for                                                                     
       finding housing, employment, and medical care, and                                                                       
     alleviate the risk of reoffending.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     In  prior legislatures  it was  determined  that HB  53                                                                    
     would add no  additional costs to the state.  HB 53 may                                                                    
     reduce  costs  to  the  state  by  reducing  recidivism                                                                    
     numbers.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     Please join me in supporting House Bill 53.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   GRAY   believed  that   providing   incarcerated                                                               
individuals with the  means to get started on the  right foot was                                                               
the least the state could if  the purpose of incarceration was to                                                               
correct behavior.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:25:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STORY  said she was fortunate  to have experienced                                                               
the reentry simulations offered  by the Juneau Reentry Coalition,                                                               
which highlighted  the need  for this bill.   She  inquired about                                                               
the language "good faith effort" on page  4, line 15 of HB 53 and                                                               
asked how that would work.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY deferred to his staff, Mr. Graham.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:26:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
NATE  GRAHAM, Staff,  Representative  Andrew  Gray, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, on  behalf of Representative Gray,  prime sponsor of                                                               
HB  53, explained  that "[making]  a good  faith effort"  to help                                                               
prisoners obtain  a valid state  identification card went  a step                                                               
beyond the  existing statutory language, "assist."   He indicated                                                               
that a  forthcoming committee substitute  (CS) might  address the                                                               
language in question.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ALLARD asked  how  many incarcerated  individuals                                                               
were released from custody on an annual basis.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:27:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
APRIL WILKERSON,  Deputy Commissioner, Department  of Corrections                                                               
(DOC), reported that 12 percent  of the individuals released from                                                               
custody were  released without a valid  state identification (ID)                                                               
or driver's license.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:28:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD asked, "Twelve percent of what number?"                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS. WILKERSON said approximately 30,000.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ALLARD observed  that  there was  no fiscal  note                                                               
associated with the  bill.  She asked how the  bill would improve                                                               
the current system.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS. WILKERSON acknowledged  that there would be  no fiscal impact                                                               
on  the department.    She explained  that  instead of  releasing                                                               
prisoners with  a piece  of paper, a  recent change  to procedure                                                               
allowed them to  release with a card that could  be exchanged for                                                               
a valid state ID at the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV).                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ALLARD asked  how  the bill  would improve  those                                                               
efforts.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. WILKERSON indicated that the  bill would allow the DOC issued                                                               
card to be recognized as a valid temporary ID.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:31:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WRIGHT  asked  whether the  proposed  legislation                                                               
would  remove  a  barrier  to  individuals  being  released  from                                                               
custody.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. WILKRESON answered yes, for  reentry purposes, the bill would                                                               
assist with those efforts.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:31:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER  asked whether the temporary  ID was for                                                               
people who lacked a state ID prior to incarceration.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS. WILKERSON  said the temporary  ID would be offered  to anyone                                                               
releasing from custody who was not in possession of a state ID.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARPENTER  asked  why   the  applicable  term  of                                                               
imprisonment must exceed 120 days.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS. WILKRESON deferred  to the bill sponsor.  She  noted that the                                                               
temporary  IDs would  be  valid for  a period  of  six months  to                                                               
provide enough time to obtain an official state ID from the DMV.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARPENTER  asked  whether  a  photograph  of  the                                                               
individual would appear on the temporary card.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MS. WILKRESON confirmed  that an official photo was  taken at the                                                               
time of release, which was printed on the card itself.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:33:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  C. JOHNSON  sought to  verify that  the temporary                                                               
card would  serve as a  valid state ID  to be used  for services,                                                               
such as opening a bank account.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS. WILKERSON  shared her  understanding that  the intent  of the                                                               
policy was  to issue an official  temporary ID.  She  deferred to                                                               
the bill sponsor.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  C. JOHNSON  pointed out  that the  Transportation                                                               
Security  Administration (TSA)  required valid  state ID  to fly.                                                               
He asked  whether this temporary  ID could be  used to get  on an                                                               
airplane.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. GRAHAM clarified that the intent  was for the temporary ID to                                                               
act as a valid state ID  not the Real ID.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:35:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  C.  JOHNSON  surmised that  the  temporary  cards                                                               
could be used  to flee the state due to  the delayed deadline for                                                               
Real ID compliance.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRAY  confirmed  that  if Real  ID  was  not  yet                                                               
required and the  temporary card was recognized as  a valid state                                                               
ID, the card could be utilized to travel out of state.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:36:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD  pointed out that that  once the individual                                                               
releasing from custody obtained  a valid driver's license, he/she                                                               
could leave the state.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY answered in the affirmative.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ALLARD   asked  whether  this  policy   was  only                                                               
applicable to people who spent over 120 days in custody.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   GRAY   shared   his   understanding   that   the                                                               
forthcoming   CS  would   include  all   people  releasing   from                                                               
incarceration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ALLARD  asked whether  the  temporary  ID had  an                                                               
expiration date.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY stated  that the ID issued by  DOC would only                                                               
be valid for 6 months.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD said, "That's a long time."                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:37:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT  asked whether  the temporary IDs  would be                                                               
provided  to individuals  whose state  IDs had  expired while  in                                                               
custody.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY answered yes.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:38:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW announced that HB 53 was held over.