HOUSE BILL REPORT
ESSB 5364
As Reported by House Committee On:
Transportation
Title: An act relating to drivers' licenses and identicards.
Brief Description: Modifying drivers' license and identicard provisions.
Sponsors: By Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators Horn, Haugen and Benton).
Brief History:
Committee Activity:
Transportation: 3/27/01, 3/29/01 [DPA].
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Brief Summary of Engrossed Substitute Bill (As Amended by House Committee)
$Contracts between the Department of Licensing and private vendors who provide drivers= licenses or identicard services cannot contain the driver=s Social Security number or fingerprints or thumbprints.
$Applications for noncommercial drivers= licenses must contain the Social Security number of the applicant.
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Majority Report: Do pass as amended. Signed by 22 members: Representatives Fisher, Democratic Co‑Chair; Mitchell, Republican Co‑Chair; Cooper, Democratic Vice Chair; Hankins, Republican Vice Chair; Lovick, Democratic Vice Chair; Ahern, Anderson, Edmonds, Haigh, Hatfield, Hurst, Jackley, Jarrett, Marine, Morell, Murray, Ogden, Rockefeller, Romero, Simpson, Skinner and Woods.
Minority Report: Without recommendation. Signed by 6 members: Representatives Ericksen, Republican Vice Chair; Armstrong, G. Chandler, Mielke, Schindler and Sump.
Staff: Penny Nerup (786‑7335).
Background:
The federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, commonly known as the welfare reform act, made significant changes to the child support enforcement system, including increasing the use of Social Security numbers on license applications to improve tracking of ?dead beat parents.@
In 1998 the Legislature passed a law that conformed state law with these federal requirements by requiring licensing agencies for professional, commercial driver=s, occupational, or recreational licenses to obtain the applicant=s Social Security number on the application form. Subsequently, congress postponed the deadline for implementation of state collection of Social Security numbers on noncommercial drivers= licenses until October 1, 2000, and state law was conformed to that date.
By state law, licensing agencies cannot display a Social Security number on the licensing document itself.
In1998 the Legislature passed a law directing the Department of Social and Health Services to seek a waiver to the federal mandate to record Social Security numbers on applications for professional, driver=s, occupational, and recreational licenses. That waiver was sought and denied by the federal Department of Health and Human Services on June 11, 1998.
Summary of Amended Bill:
Any contract entered into by the Department of Licensing and a private vendor who provides driver=s license or identicard services cannot contain the driver=s Social Security number or the driver=s fingerprints or thumbprints.
Applications for noncommercial drivers= licenses must contain the Social Security number of the applicant.
Technical changes are made deleting obsolete language.
Amended Bill Compared to Engrossed Substitute Bill:
The engrossed substitute bill required the Governor to again seek a waiver from the federal requirement to collect Social Security numbers.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date of Amended Bill: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: None.
(Concerns) The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) supports the bill but has concerns with the waiver language. The DSHS has sought a waiver and been denied. No other state that sought a waiver obtained one. In addition, there has been no change since the original waiver was denied. Concern was raised that the waiver language was beyond the scope and object of the title of the bill.
Testimony Against: None.
Testified: (Concerns) David Stillman, Department of Social and Health Services.