COMMUNICATION IMPEDIMENT; STATE ID                                             H.B. 5541 (S-1):

                                                                                                    SUMMARY OF BILL

                                                                                     REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

House Bill 5541 (Substitute S-1 as reported)

Sponsor:  Representative Frank Liberati

House Committee:  Transportation

                             Ways and Means

Senate Committee:  Transportation and Infrastructure

CONTENT

The bill would amend Public Act 222 of 1972, which governs the issuance and use an official State personal identification (ID) card, to do the following:

-- Allow an individual to elect a communication impediment designation on the application for an official State personal ID card maintained by the Secretary of State (SOS).

-- Require an individual seeking an election for a communication impediment designation to provide the SOS with a certification of the impediment.

-- Prescribe penalties for a person who intentionally made a false statement of material fact or committed or attempted to commit a deception or fraud on the required certification.

-- Prohibit the SOS from displaying an individual's communication impediment designation on the individual's State personal ID card.

-- Allow the SOS to cancel or revoke a communication impediment designation if the designation were fraudulent, erroneous, or abused.

-- If an official State personal ID card were lost, destroyed, mutilated, or illegible, allow the individual to whom the card was issued to obtain a duplicate after furnishing proof satisfactory to the SOS of the condition and upon payment of a $10 fee.

-- Allow for the renewal of an official State personal ID card during the application for a duplicate card as described above and specify the circumstances under which a card would have to be renewed.

The bill would take effect July 1, 2020.

MCL 28.291 & 28.292                                               Legislative Analyst:  Tyler VanHuyse

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would increase costs to the Department of State by an indeterminate amount. The requirements to provide an option for individuals to elect a communication impediment designation on State personal ID card would result in the Department's having to reprogram its information technology systems to accommodate this proposed change. The upgrade would result in additional costs for the Department; however, these costs are indeterminate and would depend on whether the changes to the systems could be incorporated into the Department's current upgrade of its computer and software systems. If not, additional programming and software updates could be necessary, which would increase the costs to the Department.

The Department of State Police would incur additional costs under the bill, in an amount that cannot be determined at this time, for necessary programing costs for LEIN to accommodate the bill's provisions.

The bill also would have an additional negative fiscal impact on the State and local government. New misdemeanor arrests and convictions under the bill could increase resource demands on law enforcement, court systems, community supervision, and jails. However, it is unknown how many people would be prosecuted under the bill's provisions. Any additional revenue from imposed fines would go to local libraries.

Date Completed:  6-4-20                                                      Fiscal Analyst: Bruce Baker

                                                                                                            Joe Carrasco

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.