BILL REQ. #:  H-3734.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/03/14.   

     AN ACT Relating to the pilot identicard program; adding a new section to chapter 46.20 RCW; creating a new section; and providing an expiration date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature intends to create a pilot identicard program to provide incarcerated offenders with a state-issued identicard to assist and prepare each offender for release from prison and reentry into the community. The legislature also finds that each step that assists individuals being released from prisons helps incarcerated offenders avoid predictable conditions that lead to future recidivism. Reduction in recidivism makes the community safer, transforms formerly incarcerated offenders into productive citizens, and strengthens the family structure that surrounds each offender. The goal of the pilot identicard program is to provide proper state identification to offenders upon release to the community, which is critical for accessing services, employment, housing, and various other opportunities in the community.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 46.20 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) By September 1, 2014, the department of licensing, working in conjunction with the department of corrections, shall create and implement a two-year identicard program to provide offenders with a state-issued identicard pursuant to RCW 46.20.117.
     (2) An offender is eligible for an original, renewal, or replacement identicard issued under this section, provided he or she: (a) Meets the department's criteria under RCW 46.20.117; (b) is under the custody of the department of corrections; (c) has been sentenced to an incarceration period exceeding one year and one day; and (d) is incarcerated within the Monroe correctional complex and is within two months or less of his or her release date.
     (3) For purposes of verifying an offender's identity and meeting the department's criteria required pursuant to subsection (2)(a) of this section, an offender possessing a valid identification card issued by the department of corrections serves as sufficient proof of identity and residency for the offender to apply for and obtain a Washington state identicard.
     (4) Notwithstanding the provisions of RCW 46.20.117:
     (a) The department of licensing must waive the requirement that the offender not hold a valid Washington driver's license in order to receive an identicard;
     (b) An identicard issued under this section must expire on the first anniversary of the offender's birthdate after issuance; and
     (c) The department of licensing may not charge any fee to an applicant for an identicard issued under this section.
     (5) The department of licensing, in consultation with the department of corrections, shall report to the governor and the appropriate committees of the legislature on the results of the pilot identicard program and any recommendations for improvement by December 1, 2016.
     (6) This section expires December 1, 2016.