Homeless ID bill would help lift up struggling citizens
In a refreshing change of pace, Massachusetts lawmakers are working to help struggling citizens improve their lives.
A new bill, approved late last week by the state Senate, makes it easier for homeless families and youth to get state ID cards. It would require the registrar of motor vehicles to come up a fee-free process, one that would accept alternative forms of documentation to prove Massachusetts residency, including information from homeless service providers or other state agencies.
According to State House News Service, the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Harriette Chandler, D-Worcester, testified: “People who are experiencing homelessness, unaccompanied homeless youth and LGBTQ+ homeless youth need state ID cards to apply for jobs, to enroll in schools, to open bank accounts and many more things we all take for granted. It is much more than identification. It is the chance to succeed, the first building block for a new life, a tool of empowerment. This legislation, while simple, is vital. How could we ever expect a person to help themselves when we don’t even give them the basic resources they need to succeed? This matter of getting people back on their feet and breaking the cycle of poverty is crucial.”
As of January 2019, Massachusetts had an estimated homeless population of 18,471, as reported by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Included among that number were 3,766 family households, 917 veterans, 480 unaccompanied young adults (ages 18-24) and 2,370 individuals experiencing chronic homelessness.
As lawmakers discussed the bill, the questions arose: Could someone get this ID and use it to vote or get a driver’s license if they weren’t a citizen? The answer to both was no.
The bill, which heads to the House, is a laudable piece of helping-citizens-help-themselves legislation. It offers a tool for homeless people to better their lives, while respecting the law.
It stands in stark contrast to the bill that would enable illegal immigrants in Massachusetts to secure driver’s licenses. That legislation — filed by Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier of Pittsfield, Christine Barber of Somerville and Sen. Brendan Crighton of Lynn — would permit all qualified residents, regardless of immigration status, to apply for and receive a standard state license..
The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation gave the bill a favorable recommendation last month. The message: Come here illegally, stay illegally, and we will adjust our laws to suit you.
Thankfully, Gov. Charlie Baker sees the common-sense flaw in this move. “My problem with giving licenses to people who are undocumented is just that. There’s no documentation to back up the fact that they are who they say they are and a driver’s license is a passport to a lot of things, and I think our view is the law we passed, which basically says as long as you have lawful presence dictated by the federal government, you can get a driver’s license in Mass., that’s the policy we support,” Baker said.
Putting the concerns of its citizens — especially those who are struggling and need a hand up — on the front burner, as this Homeless ID bill does, is exactly what our legislators should be doing. Not jumping on the latest progressive bandwagon.