Immigrant Identification Document Issuance

The "Colorado Road and Community Safety Act" authorizes the issuance of a driver's license or identification card to an individual who is not lawfully present in the United States. The following are, among others, some of the requirements to be issued the driver's license or identification card:

• A requirement that the applicant has filed a Colorado resident income tax return for the immediately preceding year;
• A requirement that the applicant can demonstrate being a resident of the state for the immediately preceding 2 years;
• A requirement to provide a documented social security number or individual taxpayer identification number; and
• A requirement to present a passport, consular identification card, or military identification document from the person's country of origin.

The bill changes these requirements by:

• Repealing the requirement that the applicant have filed a Colorado resident income tax return;
• Repealing the requirement that the applicant demonstrate being a resident of the state for the immediately preceding 2 years;
• Repealing the requirement that the applicant provide a documented social security number or individual taxpayer identification number; and
• Adding the following documents to the list of acceptable identification documents:

• A photocopy of a passport issued by the applicant's country of origin;
• A voter identification card with a photograph issued by the applicant's country of origin; and
• A driver's license, instruction permit, or identification card issued by the applicant's country of origin.
• An identifying document issued by the United States department of homeland security, or its contractors or subcontractors, or the United States department of justice;
• An identification card issued under the intensive supervision appearance program by the United States immigration and customs enforcement agency; and
• A verification-of-release identification card issued by the office of refugee resettlement in the United States department of health and human services.

The bill authorizes the use of exceptions processing, which is a type of hearing where it is determined if the applicant possesses evidence sufficient to prove a person qualifies for an identification document, for identification document applicants who are not lawfully present in the United States. The department will promulgate rules concerning exceptions processing and the use of documents issued by an agent or agency of the United States government to prove a person qualifies for a Colorado identification document.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)