Rules eased for driver authorization card

Settlement expands documents accepted by state Motor Vehicle Division

SANTA FE — New Mexico residents who want a driver’s authorization card — not a license issued under the U.S. Real ID Act — should have it easier next time they head to the Motor Vehicle Division.

A coalition of community groups has reached a settlement with the state Taxation and Revenue Department that expands the list of acceptable documents for proving age, identity and New Mexico residency.

It also ensures that applicants don’t have to take a Social Security card to get the driver’s authorization card.

The settlement resolves a class-action lawsuit that accused the state of illegally denying the autho-

rization cards and similar IDs to New Mexicans who couldn’t or didn’t want to provide the documents required for a federally compliant driver’s license.

Under a 2016 law, New Mexico has a two-tiered system for drivers’ licenses — one that complies with the Real ID Act and one that doesn’t. The less-stringent option is particularly important, advocates say, for homeless people, the elderly and immigrants. It allows people to drive but is not good for federal purposes, such as boarding airliners.

Former Santa Fe Mayor David Coss, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, said he was improperly turned away when trying to get a driver’s authorization card. The denial meant he couldn’t drive legally, he said, which interfered with his caretaking responsibilities for relatives.

“It hurt my family. It hurt me,” Coss told a news conference Tuesday. “But as I pursued this, I found it was hurting lots of New Mexicans all over New Mexico.”

State District Judge David Thomson approved the settlement late Friday. The state Motor Vehicle Division agreed to new training for employees, an appeals process for applicants who are denied a credential in certain circumstances and an expansion of acceptable documents.

The state also dropped a requirement to show proof of an “identification number” — such as a Social Security card — for applicants who want the driver’s authorization card.

Coss is one of seven plaintiffs identified by name in the lawsuit, filed in January. The New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness and Somos un Pueblo Unido, a group that advocates for immigrants’ rights, are also plaintiffs.

Marcela Díaz, executive director of Somos un Pueblo Unido, said the settlement is a sensible solution to help people who need access to the driver’s authorization card.

Even for people who don’t drive, an ID of some kind is needed to cash a check, open a bank account or rent a hotel room — “critical tools for residents to navigate everyday life,” Diaz said.

The lawsuit doesn’t affect driver’s licenses issued to comply with the Real ID Act.

A spokesman for the MVD said the agency is committed to helping New Mexico residents obtain either the authorization card or the driver’s license.