Legislature(2021 - 2022)DAVIS 106
04/13/2021 08:00 AM House TRIBAL AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
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| Start | |
| Presentation: Real Id Implementation in Rural Alaska | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON TRIBAL AFFAIRS
April 13, 2021
8:03 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Tiffany Zulkosky, Chair
Representative Dan Ortiz
Representative Zack Fields
Representative Geran Tarr
Representative Mike Cronk
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: REAL ID IMPLEMENTATION IN RURAL ALASKA
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
JENNA WRIGHT, Deputy Director
Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
Department of Administration (DOA)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided a PowerPoint presentation titled,
"Real ID Update," dated 4/13/21, as part of the presentation on
REAL ID implementation in rural Alaska.
CAROL PISCOYA, Vice President
Community Services Division
Kawerak, Inc.
Nome, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as part of the presentation on
REAL ID implementation in rural Alaska.
CHERIE MCCONNELL, Director
Tribal Affairs Program
Kawerak, Inc.
Nome, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as part of the presentation on
REAL ID implementation in rural Alaska.
RICHARD PETERSON, President
Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as part of the presentation on
REAL ID implementation in rural Alaska.
VIVIAN KORTHUIS, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP)
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as part of the presentation on
REAL ID implementation in rural Alaska.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:03:05 AM
CHAIR TIFFANY ZULKOSKY called the House Special Committee on
Tribal Affairs meeting to order at 8:03 a.m. Representatives
Ortiz, Fields, Cronk, and Zulkosky were present at the call to
order. Representative Tarr arrived as the meeting was in
progress.
^PRESENTATION: REAL ID Implementation in Rural Alaska
PRESENTATION: REAL ID Implementation in Rural Alaska
8:03:50 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY announced that the only order of business would
be a presentation on REAL ID throughout rural Alaska provided by
the [Division] of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
8:04:16 AM
JENNA WRIGHT, Deputy Director, Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV),
Department of Administration (DOA), provided a PowerPoint
presentation titled, "Real ID Update," dated 4/13/21 [hard copy
included in the committee packet]. She stated she will discuss
Alaska's Real ID implementation with a specific emphasis on the
progress in rural Alaska. She turned to slide 2, "REAL ID:
Agenda," and noted she will talk about: what has changed since
the last time she spoke to the committee; the key statistics
that are used to measure REAL ID; what the Division of Motor
Vehicles (DMV) believes the demand for REAL ID is in the
entirety of Alaska as well as a focus on the subset of rural
Alaska; some of the ways that DMV has engaged with rural Alaska
partners; and how DMV intends to increase access to REAL ID in a
responsible way as the division continues to navigate the COVID-
19 pandemic.
8:06:05 AM
MS. WRIGHT moved to slide 3, "REAL ID: Updates," and said one
significant change was that former President Trump extended the
REAL ID [federal] enforcement date by one year to 10/1/21. This
gave all Alaskans and Americans an additional year to apply for
a REAL ID, which will be almost three years from the time that
Alaska started issuing REAL IDs. In addition, Alaska's DMV is
in close contact with the American Association of Motor Vehicle
Administrators (AAMVA) and has joined many other states and the
American Association of Airport Executives in voicing support of
pushing this date out even further due to the ongoing and
unpredictable nature of the pandemic and the inevitable strain
that airports will be under as travel capacity starts to
increase. There is optimism that the Department of Homeland
Security and the Biden Administration will be receptive to those
requests for another extension.
MS. WRIGHT continued addressing slide 3. She said another major
change was the REAL ID modernization language included in the
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. This was important
because the REAL ID Act was written in 2005 when there was much
less reliance on electronic systems. This Act paves the way for
states to be able to accept some documents electronically and
potentially implement mobile ID and driver license solutions.
Many of those changes are at least a year or two out because
they are dependent on federal regulations being written before
states can implement the changes. However, states can implement
one change immediately, which is the reduction in the paperwork
requirement for Social Security numbers. Currently Alaskans are
required to bring in a physical proof of their Social Security
number such as the Social Security card, or W-2, or a 1099.
Assuming the regulations are successfully updated, the applicant
will be able to verbally share his or her Social Security number
with the DMV customer service representative who can then rely
on the online verification system without any physical
documentation. This step will make it easier for all Alaskans
who might not have immediate access to their Social Security
documents.
MS. WRIGHT remained on slide 3 and related that Alaska's DMV has
issued over 200,000 REAL IDs, which the division is encouraged
by. Since the DMV started issuing REAL IDs, 42 percent of all
credentials issued were federally compliant, which has helped
Alaska reach 32 percent of all unique active credentials in
Alaska being federal compliant. The term "unique" is used
because some Alaskans will have an ID and a driver's license and
a person can only have the REAL ID star on one.
MS. WRIGHT finished her discussion of slide 3 by noting that
customer satisfaction is the cornerstone of everything DMV does
and a way the division measures its success. The division had
to make quite a few drastic changes to keep staff and Alaskans
safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alaskans have been extremely
receptive to those changes and modifications.
8:10:19 AM
MS. WRIGHT spoke to slide 4, "REAL ID: Progress in Alaska." She
explained the graph encompasses three major metrics closely
tracked by DMV. She said the green bars show the number of REAL
IDs given out by month since Alaska began issuing REAL IDs in
January 2019. The blue line represents the take rate, or in
other words for everyone that walked out of the DMV with a
license or ID what is the percentage of people that had a REAL
ID star on that credential. The black line shows the cumulative
percent to DMV's goal of 250,000. The most notable deviation in
this trend visual is the plummeting take rate and issuance in
April 2020. March was when awareness of the pandemic began, and
many Alaskans were avoiding public spaces for their health and
safety. Additionally, the federal deadline for REAL ID was
extended at the end of March, thereby losing the sense of
urgency that some Alaskans had to get their REAL ID before
10/1/20. The take rate has since bounced back a bit, but at a
much slower rate of only 39 percent this year as compared to the
over 60 percent take rate seen in first quarter 2020. This
slower demand without a subsequent increase as the enforcement
date gets closer leads DMV to believe that the demand saturation
point for REAL ID has been largely reached. That is also
illustrated by the black line which shows that Alaska is about
80 percent of the way to DMV's goal of issuing 250,000 REAL IDs.
8:12:29 AM
MS. WRIGHT reviewed slide 5, "REAL ID: Demand." She said the
table depicts a high-level summary of Alaskans that have
federally compliant IDs and how the REAL IDs issued so far are a
factor of this overall analysis. Within Alaska's population of
just over 730,000 people, DMV estimates that: 365,000 have a
passport; 65,000 are active-duty military or their dependents,
all of whom have access to military IDs; and almost 75,000 are
members of an Alaskan tribe which gives them access to federally
recognized tribal IDs. These other types of IDs are mentioned
because the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website
lists 20 different types of IDs, other than the REAL ID, that
can be used to board aircraft when the REAL ID enforcement date
goes into effect.
8:13:51 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS inquired about the percentage of tribes
that are REAL ID compliant.
MS. WRIGHT replied that tribal IDs themselves do not need to be
REAL ID compliant. She said the REAL ID Act put restrictions on
state agencies to produce REAL ID compliant driver licenses and
IDs, it didn't change the requirements for those other 20 types
of identification that TSA will accept. All tribal IDs are
recognized by the TSA as government IDs and do not require a
second form of ID and an expiration date is not required. It is
a bit easier on the requirements for a tribal ID as compared to
a state-issued REAL ID.
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS asked whether all tribes in Alaska issue
or make available tribal IDs, for example, if there are 74,000
tribal members then whether all 74,000 of those people have
access to a tribal ID.
MS. WRIGHT responded that DMV has not had the opportunity to
speak with every one of the more than 200 tribes in Alaska. She
said DMV's understanding is that there is a large prevalence of
tribal IDs across the state.
8:15:33 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS suggested reaching out, whether through
the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) or another umbrella
organization, to see whether there are gaps with some tribes not
issuing tribal IDs. Regarding demand, he surmised that some
people with passports will still want to get a REAL ID; he
inquired about DMV's analysis of this.
MS. WRIGHT answered that in this analysis DMV understands there
is going to be room for some duplication because some people
will prefer to have multiple identification cards. While DMV
does not have a survey of how many Alaskans want two or more
forms of identification, the division accounted for that in this
analysis. She noted that the possible demand of [226,584]
depicted on slide 5 for REAL ID doesn't consider that [179,960]
people in Alaska are under the age of 18 and don't need a REAL
ID to travel, nor does this number include the nearly 65,000
Alaska veterans who have access to Department of Defense IDs.
She explained that DMV rounded the number up to 250,000 with the
understanding that there was some duplication within the numbers
but there isn't a way to know for sure what the exact demand
will be because of the element of choice that is there.
MS. WRIGHT finished her review of slide 5 by stating that many
Alaskans already have federally compliant identification before
the issuance of REAL ID is even considered. Given that 200,000
Alaskans have a REAL ID, a very encouraging picture is painted
for Alaska because this number means that the majority of
Alaskans who want a REAL ID do already have one. Further, DMV
has the capacity to serve those Alaskans who will want a REAL ID
this summer prior to the deadline.
8:18:27 AM
MS. WRIGHT discussed the table shown on slide 6, "REAL ID: Rural
Alaska Demand." She explained that DMV analyzed the population
and the potential demand by 13 regions across the state. The
first column in the table shows the total population of each
region. Then DMV subtracted the population of cities within
each of those regions that have reasonable access to a DMV or a
passport facility [column two], arriving at the remaining
population [column three]. Then U.S. Census data was used to
estimate the number of children under five [column four] and
veterans [column five] living in each of the regions because
children under five would not need a compliant ID and veterans
would have access federally compliant Department of Defense IDs.
8:19:25 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS surmised a REAL ID can only be issued
through either a DMV or a passport facility.
MS. WRIGHT replied that REAL IDs cannot be issued at a passport
acceptance facility, they can only be issued by DMV or an agent
of the DMV. She explained she put [passport facilities] on this
slide because a passport is a form of federally compliant ID and
DMV is trying to look at this issue holistically to ensure that
it can get a federally compliant ID in the hands of Alaskans.
It doesn't necessarily need to be a REAL ID, one is not better
than the other, it is just what Alaskans have access to.
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS asked whether the UMVs in Anchorage can
issue REAL IDs as well as the DMVs.
MS. WRIGHT responded yes, all of DMV's business partners, which
DMV calls commission agents, can access REAL IDs if they choose
to make that part of their business practice. These partner
agencies also include local governments and police departments.
8:20:58 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ referred to the second column in the table
labeled "Areas with Access to DMV or Passport Facility" and
recalled Ms. Wright stating "reasonable" access to DMV. He
asked how "reasonable" is defined and whether, for example, it
would be considered a road system connected to a DMV office.
MS. WRIGHT confirmed that road access to a DMV [would be
considered "reasonable"]. She noted these regions are very
large and DMV has 17 hub locations located across rural Alaska,
and that the populations within each of those cities is
subtracted from the region's population.
8:22:08 AM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR inquired about the requirements for children
as they relate to REAL ID.
MS. WRIGHT answered that minors under the age of 18 do not need
to present a form of compliant ID as long as they are traveling
with an adult that does have a form of compliant ID.
REPRESENTATIVE TARR surmised that the column labeled "Estimated
Population Under Age 5" is included in the table because these
numbers are then backed out of the total number.
MS. WRIGHT replied yes. She explained DMV is looking at the
population of rural Alaska as a whole and then trying to remove
the pieces that DMV knows either don't need a federally
compliant form of ID or have an alternative.
REPRESENTATIVE TARR asked why this column isn't for the
population under age 18 rather than age 5.
MS. WRIGHT confirmed DMV does want to know that. She drew
attention to the third line from the bottom of the slide that
states "K-12 Population" and explained that this is how DMV
pulled out those people aged 5-18.
8:23:58 AM
MS. WRIGHT resumed her discussion of slide 6. She stated that
after the deductions are made in the table, the resulting number
is that approximately 40,000 people could need to rely on an
alternate form of ID like a tribal ID. Next, DMV subtracts from
40,000 the K-12 population of about 9,500 students in these
communities and the 3,000 REAL IDs that have already been issued
to people in these communities, leaving about 28,000 people who
would need to rely on an alternative form of ID like a tribal ID
or a REAL ID. These numbers do not account at all for the
tribal IDs that have already been issued nor that tribal
managers across the state are intending to issue.
8:25:08 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY referenced slides 5 and 6 and asked how DMV made
its assessments on the demand and whether, for example, it was
pulled together through consultation with different communities
as well as an assessment of the data, or whether it was solely a
tabletop review of the different categories of individuals and
an assumption of the types of pieces of identification.
MS. WRIGHT responded that the table on slide 6 does not include
any tribal IDs that have already been issued, therefore the
table shows the data that DMV knows to be a fact, indisputable
and good estimations. She related that with 200 different
tribes across the state, it was difficult for DMV to narrow down
exactly how many tribal IDs were available, or more importantly
had already been issued. Some regions, like the Nome region,
are known to have a very high tribal ID presence and their goal
was to issue tribal IDs to 100 percent of their members by the
REAL ID enforcement date, but there are some regions that DMV
doesn't know as much about. In these slides it was her intent
to illustrate the known facts about the demand and leave room
for the testimony of tribal leaders and their implementation of
tribal IDs as a complement to REAL IDs.
8:27:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ regarding the category called "region"
surmised that this includes people who live outside a community
but who are part of a region. He posed a scenario of someone
living outside the community of Hoonah on a different island
without road access and asked whether "region" would describe
the region around the community of Hoonah or specifically the
population and people within Hoonah.
MS. WRIGHT answered it is the entire region regardless of
whether it's like a hub city with road access to other
communities. Referring to slide 6, she said the only thing DMV
took out was in the second column where DMV subtracted the
population of areas with access to a DMV. In response to a
request for clarification, she explained that the total
population in the first column includes all cities within that
region that are in rural Alaska regardless of whether they do or
don't have a DMV or are connected to other communities on the
road system in rural Alaska. The only population that was
deducted from each of those regions was the cities that had
access to a DMV or passport facility, and this wasn't done until
the second column.
8:29:15 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ addressed the term "demand" and offered his
perspective that demand tends to be more of a subjective term
rather than a specific number; it is an estimate of how many
people will want a REAL ID. He asked whether this is the way
DMV is using the term "demand" or whether DMV is trying to
quantify specifically a numerical identification of demand.
MS. WRIGHT replied that, on slide 6, specific to rural Alaska,
DMV is trying to understand the number of Alaskans who don't
have access to a form of federally compliant ID. While some
Alaskans may have a preference to have multiple identification
cards, that was not the intent of this analysis. The division
was trying to determine who doesn't have access to anything.
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ stated he is asking questions that reflect
the concern from his region on this issue. Given the drop-off
caused by COVID-19 in March 2020, he opined, people might need
to be reawakened to the requirement of a REAL ID. He inquired
whether DMV has put effort into the idea that now might be a
good time to reawaken Alaskans that they are going to need some
form of acceptable ID or REAL ID to travel on aircraft.
MS. WRIGHT responded that DMV has never stopped focusing on it
but concurred there has been much distraction with the COVID-19
pandemic. She said DMV has had very consistent messaging and
uses taglines about the REAL ID when reminding customers of
appointments, in email communications, or in phone calls; plus,
DMV has just kicked off a campaign to put more things on social
media. Also, since this is a joint effort with TSA and other
stakeholders, TSA has put lots of effort into a nationwide
campaign reminding people about REAL ID using catchy marketing
terms and branding in an updated look.
8:34:07 AM
MS. WRIGHT turned to slide 7, "REAL ID: Engagement in Rural
Alaska," and stated that DMV has dedicated a senior level staff
member to the division's REAL ID outreach and education effort.
Specific to REAL ID in rural Alaska, this employee has engaged
over 50 tribal leaders or city managers in communities without a
DMV presence to educate them on the requirements of REAL ID,
assess the need of the community for REAL ID, and provide DMV
advice. As well, DMV has pursued many events and speaking
engagements at several prominent conferences and other meetings,
most of which went virtual or were cancelled. In addition to
education and outreach efforts, DMV developed a mobile camera
solution and document collection practices that meet the
specific and restrictive federal requirements for REAL ID, which
has allowed DMV to travel to two rural communities so far and
issue REAL IDs. This travel pilot was disrupted by COVID-19 and
will be picked up as soon as it is safe to do so.
8:36:51 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY recalled that one or two years ago DMV told the
committee on the record that one full-time equivalent (FTE) or a
partial FTE was committed to reaching out to rural Alaska about
the impending deadline for REAL ID. She asked Ms. Wright about
the resources currently set aside for ensuring that people are
reaching out to rural Alaska on the impending changes.
MS. WRIGHT answered that during this time of COVID-19, DMV has
had that same FTE dedicated to engagement of REAL ID across the
state and in rural Alaska. The list of communities is currently
at more than 50 and the FTE has remained in contact with those
people and ensured the sharing of information. Additionally,
REAL ID is a significant focus of DMV senior leadership. Once
the travel pilot can be resumed, DMV will periodically dedicate
two service representatives to travel together to each of these
communities to issue REAL IDs. Also, DMV will provide training
to the communities in what to expect when DMV gets there to
ensure they are set up for success.
CHAIR ZULKOSKY requested a list of the rural DMVs. She related
that in her home community of Bethel, which was noted as serving
about 18,000 Alaskans in the region, DMV has been closed for
extended periods of time. She said there seems to be room for
improvement and engagement with respect to the ongoing
communications with rural community leaders and to providing
rural Alaskans with access to essential state services.
MS. WRIGHT agreed to do so.
8:40:39 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY requested Ms. Wright to remind the committee of
what the mobile unit provides.
MS. WRIGHT replied that technology was developed to create a
"DMV station in a box," which has been piloted in two
communities. This mobile solution has miniature components of
everything found at a DMV station, including a scanner for
taking in the required documentation, a [camera] capable of
capturing photos that are compliant with REAL ID standards, and
a processing engine that can do the data entry and create the
card to send to DMV's vendor. After partnering with a community
to find a suitable space for setting up the mobile DMV solution
in a box, DMV representatives would take this mobile unit to the
community and be able to issue REAL IDs to the residents.
CHAIR ZULKOSKY recalled that previously a certain threshold of
residents had to qualify or have all their paperwork to bring
the DMV into a community. She pointed out that people on the
road system can go into the DMV as many times as needed to get
all their paperwork in order, which is not the case in rural
Alaska. She asked Ms. Wright to speak to the process and
requirements for community leaders and members to request the
mobile unit to travel to their community.
MS. WRIGHT responded that lots of specific documentation is
required for REAL ID. For example, someone getting married or
divorced, or having a different name on their Social Security
card than on their birth certificate, may create complications
and the person may need to go back to those source agencies and
get the proper documentation before DMV is authorized to issue a
REAL ID. To prevent DMV from going to a community and residents
not having the proper documentation, and to set the communities
up for success, DMV works with a point of contact in each
community and trains them on what the REAL ID documentation
requirements are. That person can then pre-screen documents for
the residents, setting them up for success when DMV arrives.
Regarding minimums, DMV asks that at least 50 people have been
confirmed ready by the pre-screener so when DMV shows up it can
make that positive impact.
8:44:39 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY inquired whether the community pre-screener
within the community is paid by DMV for their hours of
assistance providing these state services.
MS. WRIGHT answered no.
CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked whether, as the revised enactment date gets
closer, DMV has considered providing supplement staff to travel
to communities to do in-person customer service or to pay the
individual [in the community] who is pre-screening documents.
MS. WRIGHT replied that DMV is prepared to allocate as many
staff members as is needed to make this successful but has not
considered supplementing payment to the communities other than
providing DMV staff members.
CHAIR ZULKOSKY remarked that given the tens of millions of
dollars DMV returns to Alaska's treasury every year it seems the
opportunity could be explored to compensate the community
resident [acting as a pre-screener] and doing work typically
done by a DMV staffer in an office on the road system, or to
provide creative partnerships with community leaders, or to
supplement that with DMV staff directly who travel.
8:47:16 AM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR noted that some of the requirements are
housing documentation or utilities for people who are renters.
She asked about the flexibility DMV might have to do things that
work for Alaskans who are in shared housing or are in inter-
generational living situations.
MS. WRIGHT concurred Alaska has some unique challenges which DMV
realized needed to be solved, especially in rural Alaska where
there aren't always addresses. In its work in the past to
understand the circumstances in communities across the state,
DMV has issued policies and letters to tribal leaders and
community leaders explaining that DMV does have flexibility in
the address verification requirement. She stated that DMV
absolutely must have some sort of a proof of principle residency
but has flexibility in the way it can do that. For instance, in
rural Alaska DMV can accept a letter from the principal of a
school stating that "so-and-so lives on this street and it's the
second red house on the right." So, describing the physical
location from somebody of authority in the community is
acceptable for REAL ID purposes.
8:49:45 AM
MS. WRIGHT concluded her presentation by moving to slide 8,
"Commitment to Transparency." She shared with the committee
that it was understood COVID-19 was going to have a presence for
an unknown amount of time, so former Commissioner Tshibaka sent
a letter to the assistant secretary of the Bureau of Indian
Affairs (BIA) requesting assistance in issuing federally
compliant tribal ID cards. The letter highlighted some of the
challenges encountered when DMV travelled to rural Alaska even
absent of COVID-19. Because of those challenges, along with the
added complication of COVID 19, DMV has been consistently
encouraging Alaska's tribal leaders to help their members obtain
tribal ID cards which work the same way as REAL IDs for domestic
travel. In many cases the documentation requirement for tribal
IDs can be easier to obtain.
8:51:12 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ORTIZ inquired about where this requirement came
from for having to have a REAL ID.
MS. WRIGHT responded that Congress passed the REAL ID Act in
2005, which enacted the recommendation of the National
Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States ("9-11
Commission") for the federal government to set standards on the
issuance of identification cards. She offered her belief that
the origin of [the recommendation] was that some of the
terrorists in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the
U.S. ("9/11") had legitimate driver's licenses or IDs from
states that they shouldn't have. So, the federal government set
standards for all states to improve integrity.
8:52:08 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK agreed with the chair that if something
like this is required then that service to rural Alaska must be
provided for getting this ID. He requested clarification on
whether the REAL ID photograph is facial recognition.
MS. WRIGHT answered that the facial recognition topic is put in
place because it's a fraud prevention measure. She said the
photo taken by DMV doesn't leave the state for any national
database. She explained that the DMV uses facial recognition
software to [run] that photo against DMV's existing database of
photos to ensure that there is no fraud occurring when DMV
issues these identification cards.
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK questioned whether this photo would be sent
to the government, stored there, and used down the road for
facial recognition.
MS. WRIGHT replied no, it just is run against Alaska's state
database.
8:53:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR asked how often DMV sees people seeking IDs
fraudulently.
MS. WRIGHT responded not frequently, perhaps a handful of times
per year. Most commonly it will be a sister trying to get
another sister's ID or something of that sort.
8:54:24 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY invited representatives of rural Alaska
communities to provide their testimony.
8:54:56 AM
CAROL PISCOYA, Vice President, Community Services Division,
Kawerak, Inc., stated that Kawerak has been working on this
project for the last [three years], and there has been much
confusion among community members about REAL ID and why a REAL
ID is needed if someone has a tribal ID. None of Kawerak's
villages have road access, except one which has summer road
access, so members must fly, including for receiving medical
care. Not all Kawerak members have tribal IDs, but Kawerak's
goal is to provide all members with a tribal ID that is
compliant with the REAL ID and that can be accepted by rural
airlines and TSA.
MS. PISCOYA said she is glad to hear that DMV is allowing verbal
Social Security numbers, but the bigger concern and issue is the
birth certificate. Many Kawerak members, especially the elders,
have a difficult time receiving birth certificates or don't have
birth certificates to begin with. It takes a long time to get a
birth certificate because it is a difficult document to get.
Another issue is name changes that don't match on the Social
Security number or the Social Security card. Requirements like
a Social Security card and a physical address are more easily
reachable for Kawerak members.
8:58:40 AM
MS. PISCOYA noted there is a DMV agent in Nome but said many
community members cannot afford the expensive flight to Nome
just to get a REAL ID. She said she is glad to hear DMV is
working on a mobile DMV plan so the people in Kawerak's villages
can get a REAL ID without having to travel to Nome. Kawerak has
talked about having a mobile DMV but is concerned about who will
cover the cost of travel and overnight stays since every village
must be flown into. The other concern is about the number of
people needed with available documentation for each village.
MS. PISCOYA stated that everything came to a halt with COVID-19,
but Kawerak is now returning to where it left off and focusing
on getting the REAL ID and ensuring tribal IDs for everyone
since TSA now says Kawerak's tribal ID is acceptable. She
questioned whether good Internet is necessary to get a REAL ID
given there isn't good Internet in Kawerak's villages. She said
she likes the idea of having someone in the villages as a point
of contact but questioned who will cover the expense for their
travel and overnighting in the village for several days. She
pointed out that the tribe cannot cover the expense for the
mobile DMV. She concluded by stating that Kawerak wants to get
REAL ID for its villages, but given the challenges, especially
with birth certificates, Kawerak is focusing on all the villages
having tribal IDs. She added however that everything is closed
because of the pandemic.
9:03:47 AM
CHERIE MCCONNELL, Tribal Affairs Program Director, Kawerak,
Inc., stated that an extension [of the deadline for REAL ID]
would be very helpful. She related that Kawerak has been
working for the last three years to get this tribal ID program
up and running. Kawerak was working with a vendor to at least
assimilate the REAL ID as best as possible, and just prior to
the pandemic hitting Kawerak was informed that TSA would accept
federally recognized tribal IDs, which all Kawerak tribes in the
Bering Strait region are and all are producing a form of tribal
ID.
MS. MCCONNELL related that Kawerak has spent a significant
amount of money to upgrade its system and currently four tribal
offices are producing the upgraded travel ID that has all the
elements of the REAL ID. The pandemic slowed things down and
the vendor also had pandemic issues. Kawerak is hoping to get
back up and running and the goal is for all Kawerak tribes to
have the upgraded system, the upgraded tribal ID machines, and
the ability to produce a product for the community.
9:05:48 AM
MS. MCCONNELL advised that several Bering Strait communities
would like "DMV on-the-go" to come out to the communities. She
stressed that training on the ground in the community is very
important because Kawerak doesn't want the mobile DVM to come
out to the community and not be successful by having people come
in and be frustrated that they didn't understand exactly what
they needed for getting their REAL ID. She said she supports
having someone compensated through DMV to be well trained on the
ground in the community to ensure a successful visit by the
mobile DMV.
MS. MCCONNELL elaborated on Ms. Piscoya's statement about poor
Internet service in the region's communities. She said that
prior to the pandemic, a problem with [the mobile DMV] coming to
rural communities in the Bering Strait region was that the poor
Internet did not support the camera and other elements needed to
create the ID. She offered her hope that this has been resolved
and related Kawerak's belief that it will have success with
getting the tribal IDs to its members in rural communities and
that members will have that option.
MS. MCCONNELL said her one concern is that the Lower 48 TSAs may
not be familiar with tribal IDs like they are in Alaska. She
said she has been assured that it is just a training issue, and
she hopes that TSAs in the Lower 48 will understand that they
can accept tribal IDs.
9:08:31 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked how many tribes are in the Norton Sound
region and how many of them do or do not offer tribal IDs.
MS. PISCOYA responded that there are 20 tribes in its region and
all the tribes do offer tribal IDs. She offered her belief that
it is the REAL ID that "we have a difficult time with getting
access for our tribes."
CHAIR ZULKOSKY inquired as to how much Kawerak has invested in
financial and staff resources to help bring the region into REAL
ID compliance.
MS. MCCONNELL replied that the equipment alone would be several
hundred thousand dollars and staff time would be at least
another hundred [thousand dollars], so easily close to [a total
of] half a million dollars in time and equipment. She hasn't
put a number on her staff time at this point because it has been
such a priority to get done. She is in Nome, and she supervises
all the tribal coordinators out in the region; the coordinators
are Kawerak employees, and they are trying to educate the
population.
CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked how many Kawerak staff have offered support
for educating Alaskans in the region about REAL ID, the
importance of tribal IDs, and federally compliant IDs.
MS. MCCONNELL answered that Tribal Affairs has a staff of 23 and
there is not one staff member who doesn't work on this. Of the
23 employees, 15 are in rural communities.
CHAIR ZULKOSKY offered her understanding that COVID-19 has put a
wrench in much of this rollout and work. She asked whether the
state had engaged in consultations with any tribal or local
government representatives in Kawerak communities to understand
best practices for implementing REAL ID in that region.
MS. MCCONNELL replied that prior to the pandemic there was a lot
of communication within her office, and she felt reasonably
supported by DMV, but to her knowledge she is not aware of
engagement out in the rural communities.
9:12:22 AM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR noted the diversity of the Kawerak region
from islands to the mainland and everything in between. She
further noted that Nome is the hub with 19 others in the region.
She asked whether Ms. McConnell is saying all the [communities]
will be able to do the tribal IDs and that basically Kawerak is
taking on the responsibility for this instead of the state.
MS. MCCONNELL responded that Kawerak has worked hard to meet
that REAL ID element because tribal members need the ability to
travel. She said she feels Kawerak doesn't have an option
except to be successful at getting these tribal IDs done before
the deadline. She is excited about the talk regarding an
extension because it will help out Kawerak.
MS. PISCOYA added that the requirements for a tribal ID are not
as strict as for a REAL ID. The major requirement is showing
that the person is a member of his or her tribe. It is a
reachable goal and [given] TSA accepts tribal ID, Kawerak is
working hard to make sure that every member who needs one has a
tribal ID. If Kawerak gets REAL ID it is happy to do that, but
there are many challenges, especially for rural communities,
about getting a REAL ID as was mentioned earlier. The definite
goal is to get tribal IDs because TSA accepts them.
9:15:26 AM
RICHARD PETERSON, President, Central Council of the Tlingit &
Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, stated that the Central Council
of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska ("Tlingit &
Haida") is the largest tribe in Alaska with over 33,000 enrolled
tribal citizens across the state, nation, and world. Of the
Tlingit & Haida's communities in Southeast Alaska, only a
handful are connected to the road system. Tlingit & Haida is a
member of the Alaska Regional Coalition, a consortium of four
Native regional tribal nonprofits that collectively represents
65,000 Alaskans in 100 rural communities from Ketchikan to
Kotzebue. [The consortium] provides service to everyone in the
100 communities, not solely to Alaska Natives. The Coalition's
top priority is regional equity in budgeting, and the REAL ID
issue is a prime example of what regional equity in budgeting
means. State services should be available to residents
regardless of where they reside. Tribes and tribal nonprofits
are a proven partner with the state for delivery of service in
rural Alaska, and perhaps today some ways will surface for how
they can help DMV meet its goals of providing equitable service
to all residents of Alaska.
MR. PETERSON related that Tlingit & Haida issues top-of-the-line
tribal IDs for its tribal citizens that are among the best in
the nation, yet it is still heard from tribal citizens that the
TSA won't accept them. He said the documentation required to
receive a REAL ID is a barrier. For example, villages don't
have physical addresses and not everyone in a home pays a bill.
Another barrier is when people who have changed their last name
for marriage get caught up with their birth certificate not
being in the same name as state issued IDs and passports, and
anyone who got a divorce is doubly caught up. An added
challenge is getting the paperwork lined up in communities with
limited Internet. [A barrier for] people struggling to keep
housing is that they cannot provide proof of stable address or
provide mail or bills with a physical address. Many elders do
not have the required documentation to apply for birth
certificates, Social Security card, or marriage license due to
various reasons such as moved homes, lost paperwork, or natural
disasters. Additionally, many elders and low-income individuals
lack the financial resources to pay for the required
documentation that is needed. As well, travel from rural hubs
to a DMV can cost hundreds of dollars.
MR. PETERSON said [Tlingit & Haida] has discussed some possible
solutions for consideration. For example, he continued, the
state could assign someone at the DMV to certify that people are
a resident when they don't have proper documentation of street
addresses or birth certificates. He concluded by stating that
Tlingit & Haida is committed to partnering with the state.
9:19:04 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY recalled Mr. Peterson's statement that tribal
members with tribal IDs have indicated challenges with Homeland
Security or TSA accepting those tribal IDs. She requested him
to elaborate further.
MR. PETERSON replied that not all TSA agents are versed or see
enough tribal ID traffic, so they will tell tribal citizens that
tribal IDs are not an acceptable form when [Tlingit & Haida] is
in the federal register. Tlingit & Haida has told its citizens
to push back and demand to speak to a manager or someone of
higher authority.
CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked how often Tlingit & Haida hears that this
is happening. She further asked whether that is resolved for
the individual and whether it causes anxiety for traveling.
MR. PETERSON confirmed it causes anxiety. He related that pre-
pandemic Tlingit & Haida would be contacted a couple times a
month that this had happened. He said he explicitly uses his
tribal ID when traveling and has yet to have a problem. He
added that when he has been questioned, he had enough knowledge
that [the TSA] backed down.
9:20:55 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY requested Mr. Peterson to discuss the work done
by Tlingit & Haida to help the DMV get Alaskan tribal citizens
within its region in line with the federal ID requirements.
MR. PETERSON responded that upon hearing the first speaker from
the state today mention working with and reaching out to tribes,
he contacted his enrollment staff [and was told] that DMV has
not at all reached out to Tlingit & Haida, but Tlingit & Haida
would love to work with DMV and assist in the villages to do
what it can. He said Tlingit & Haida's tribal IDs are on par
with the REAL ID as they include a hologram and expiration date.
Tlingit & Haida has expensive equipment, has extensively trained
staff, and has made extensive investments so that it has top-of-
the-line IDs. Responding further, he said the investment has
been hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment and training.
9:22:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK stated he has four daughters who are Alaska
Native and when crossing the [Canada-U.S.] border while
traveling from Tok to Haines he has had their birth certificates
and Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) cards. He
asked whether CDIB cards are being recognized at this point or
whether a tribal card is needed.
MR. PETERSON answered that the CDIB card is a federally issued
card, so it cannot be denied, but is a backup documentation
because it does not have a photo. He advised it is probably now
more important to have the tribal ID card with a photo.
9:23:58 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY inquired whether the State of Alaska has engaged
in any form of tribal consultation or inquiry with Tlingit &
Haida prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to learn potential
opportunities for best practices in terms of helping rural
Alaskans meet the REAL ID standards.
MR. PETERSON replied that therein lies the irony of what would
be considered consultation. He said the state does not formally
recognize the 229 tribes in Alaska, so Tlingit & Haida has
received information on postcards but no formal consultation.
9:25:08 AM
VIVIAN KORTHUIS, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Association of
Village Council Presidents (AVCP), noted that AVCP is the
largest tribal consortium in the nation with 56 federally
recognized tribes as members. The region is located on the
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta ("Y-K Delta") bordering the Yukon River,
Kuskokwim River, and Bering Sea Coast. It is about the same
size as the state of Washington, has a population of
approximately 26,000 people, and is entirely off the road
system, meaning the only way into this region is by flying or by
barge in the summer. Transportation in-region is by small plane
or boat in the summer and by snowmachine or ice road (if it
exists) in the winter.
MS. KORTHUIS stated that regarding REAL ID implementation in
rural Alaska, AVCP has invested time and attention over the past
few years to how it delivers services. The service delivery
model is based on providing services at the village, sub-
regional, regional, and beyond the region levels. The question
of how the State of Alaska can meet its obligations to serve all
Alaskans is a question of service delivery. Alaska's citizens
live in the largest cities of Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau,
or along the road system, or off the road system in rural
Alaska. She said DMV has a model for delivering services to
citizens on the road system, with one or more DMV locations in a
community or within reasonable driving distance. For the AVCP
region there is one DMV location in Bethel. Given the region's
size and that there is no road system, this means the region
lacks access to a service that the state has the responsibility
to provide.
9:29:07 AM
MS. KORTHUIS stressed that this issue has become critical
because, effective 10/1/[21], state issued driver's licenses and
ID cards must be REAL ID compliant to qualify as an acceptable
form of ID show in order to board a commercial aircraft. Given
there are no roads, this means that right now someone in a
village must buy a plane ticket to go to the DMV in Bethel at a
cost of about $600 roundtrip. Often it takes several visits to
the DMV to accomplish the task of obtaining a REAL ID. Many
tribal members in AVCP communities use their driver's license or
state ID as a primary or alternative method of identification
for boarding commercial flights. Unless members can travel to a
DMV location before October 1, they will no longer be able to do
so. This means that Y-K Delta residents may be unable to access
health care, economic, or educational opportunities because of
lack of access to state services.
MS. KORTHUIS further stressed the need for meaningful access to
DMV services. She pointed out that currently there is only one
full-time DMV position in Bethel, which is not enough to fully
service the AVCP region. Additional DMV positions would allow
for aggressive and critical REAL ID outreach and support as some
rural residents may not be aware that the October 1 deadline is
looming. Residents also need assistance to be provided in
English and Yupik to ensure that the required documentation is
available and complete before traveling to their appointment or
for any other purpose. Ms. Korthuis also pointed out that
additional DMV positions would make it easier to obtain a REAL
ID appointment instead of waiting weeks or sometimes months for
the next available appointment which may not coincide with
planned trips to Bethel.
MS. KORTHUIS concluded by noting that one-third of all Alaskans
live in rural Alaska. She urged that the state redefine and
significantly improve the way it delivers services so that all
Alaskans can be served. Rural Alaskans are entitled to the DMV
services particularly during the REAL ID implementation, she
continued, and on behalf of AVCP she asked that they be granted
access to these services.
9:32:49 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY requested Ms. Korthuis to speak to AVCP's efforts
to educate its beneficiaries and residents about the coming
deadline for REAL ID compliance as well as any tribal ID
issuance efforts that AVCP has supported.
MS. KORTHUIS replied that AVCP's Tribal Services department has
eight employees who work with the 56 tribes to pass along
information received by AVCP. She concurred with the Kawerak
representatives that the messages about appropriate tribal and
REAL ID requirements are confusing. Tribal Services staff
coordinate information that is sent out and provide services,
including tribal IDs, to those members compacted with the AVCP
consortium. Of the 56 tribes in the AVCP region, only about 20
are compacted, and those that are not compacted with AVCP manage
their own system of tribal ID. Within the AVCP region, AVCP
works directly with approximately 32 tribal administrators. The
responsibility is up to the tribe as to whether the tribe
engages in AVCP's services, so it can go anywhere from a tribe
fully staffing and administering its own program for tribal IDS
or a tribe relying on AVCP to provide tribal IDs for that tribe.
In any case, there are costs associated with each of those
choices and with the equipment to provide these IDs. It can be
anywhere from full organized and ready to administer and, on the
other hand with COVID-19, it can be many offices closed and
closed offices in the tribal communities means services not
being provided.
9:37:02 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked whether Ms. Korthuis recalls consultation
in any form or fashion from [DMV] with AVCP or tribes in the Y-K
Delta on areas of collaboration or opportunity to ensure a
successful REAL ID rollout.
MS. KORTHUIS responded that AVCP has worked with the local
office in Bethel and has a good working relationship with that
office. She said she doesn't know where the two sites are that
DMV tried the portable service pilot projects. She has
physically gone to the Bethel DMV office asking if AVCP can
partner. Upon hearing the statement today about partnering she
asked herself whether it is true because AVCP would definitely
want to partner with DMV to assure that the state services to
the region and communities would be extended.
CHAIR ZULKOSKY recalled the state's statement today that it has
reached a saturation point for Alaskans who desire a REAL ID or
a compliant REAL ID if they don't have a tribal ID. She asked
whether Ms. Korthuis agrees with that assessment with respect to
the tribes and communities in the Y-K Delta region.
MS. KORTHUIS answered that the Y-K Delta region has lots of
need. Residents, including elders, travel to the healthcare
system in Bethel and Anchorage and young people travel to
school. There are many personal stories, including within her
own family, about how hard it is to obtain a REAL ID and the
availability of that access to people in the villages. She
herself had to try three times to get her REAL ID and it was
difficult, so she doesn't think the assessment by the state
addresses the real need of how important the REAL ID is to
communities and individual residents and how much the region
needs that service.
9:40:45 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY requested Ms. Wright to keep the committee posted
on whether an extension is offered on the REAL ID deadline.
9:41:09 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK noted that DMV takes the picture which goes
into the state database. He asked whether that database is
shared with a federal database.
MS. WRIGHT replied, "No, it is not."
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK inquired whether the federal government is
funding REAL ID given that it was forced upon the state by the
federal government.
MS. WRIGHT responded that REAL ID was an unfunded federal
mandate.
9:42:33 AM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR referenced the statement by Ms. Korthuis
that one DMV position in Bethel is not enough to meet the needs
of the region and that additional positions would help with
enabling the early preparation [by residents]. She recalled Ms.
Wright stating that DMV was doing some of that pre-COVID.
Representative Tarr noted that she sits on the Department of
Administration Budget Subcommittee and except for the big story
of DMV closures she doesn't recall any additional staffing. She
asked whether Ms. Wright has any comments about that.
MS. WRIGHT confirmed she heard that comment by Ms. Korthuis.
She said the challenge in any DMV office which has one or two
staff members, is that when one of those people moves on, has
leave, or is out sick, it has a [disproportionate] effect on
those offices than it would somewhere like Anchorage where DMV
has more people who are able to cover. She related that from
her experience working with those offices over the last two and
half years, the biggest challenge DMV runs into is when
representatives move on to another job or have unexpected leave.
Regarding additional PCNs in the rural areas, Ms. Wright noted
that since this is a short-term problem DMV would then be locked
into having those PCNs for additional time. Instead, DMV has
identified people within its Anchorage, Fairbanks, and
potentially Juneau, offices who could travel if there was a need
in rural Alaska. So, instead of having the people come from
Bethel to some of the surrounding communities, they might come
from Anchorage.
REPRESENTATIVE TARR opined about doing more thinking on ensuring
that the resources are available, especially since people's
health could be impacted from not having an ID that allows them
to travel. She posited that since DMV has positive revenue
perhaps there could be some nonpermanent short-term positions
specific to this implementation and communication.
9:46:15 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK asked what the exact requirements are for
REAL ID.
MS. WRIGHT answered that to get a REAL ID a person must be able
to prove his or her identity and lawful status, which are most
commonly done through a birth certificate or a passport. A
person must also be able to prove his or her Social Security
number, which can be done with a Social Security card, a W-2, or
1099, provided they show the full Social Security number. Also,
a person must be able to prove his or her principal residency,
which can be done via a long list of ways.
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK remarked he can see that being a real
challenge across different places and it seems work needs to be
continued for simplification of ways to get these documents. It
seems a solution for rural Alaska would be to schedule the
mobile DMV unit three or four months ahead and then work with
the village councils and tribal entities to help all those
people get the document they need so it doesn't become a waste
of time for DMV.
9:48:12 AM
CHAIR ZULKOSKY asked what the revenue positive amount is that
the DMV returns to the state on average every year.
MS. WRIGHT estimated the amount to be roughly $50 million.
9:49:05 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Tribal Affairs meeting was adjourned at
9:49 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| DOA-DMV-Real ID Update 4-13-21.pdf |
HTRB 4/13/2021 8:00:00 AM |