WEST virginia legislature
2021 regular session
Committee Substitute
for
House Bill 2160
By Delegates Howell and pushkin
[Introduced February 10, 2021; Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary then Finance]
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §17B-2-16, relating to issuing identification documents to homeless individuals residing at homeless shelters within this state at no cost; stating legislative intent; defining terms; creating a process by which a homeless individual may apply for certain identifying documents to be provided at no cost; requiring the division to issue certain identifying documents to eligible homeless individuals at no cost; and requiring the commissioner to develop forms.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
ARTICLE 2. Issuance of License, Expiration and Renewal.
§17B-2-16. Identification documents for homeless citizens.
(a) Findings.--
The Legislature finds that:
(1) Individuals who are homeless are often the victims of crimes in which their personal identification documents are stolen or lost;
(3) Removing barriers that prevent homeless individuals from obtaining identification documents may enable those individuals to achieve greater financial stability and a permanent home.
(b) Definitions.--
For the purposes of this section:
(1) “Homeless citizen” means an individual who meets the following criteria:
(A) The individual is a resident of this state, as defined by §17A-3-1a of this code, and
(B) The individual has a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
(2) “Homeless shelter” means a homeless service agency or entity which regularly provides temporary residence for homeless individuals and families.
(3) “Division” means the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles.
(c) A homeless citizen is eligible to receive certain identification documents at no cost to the citizen, as provided in subsection (d) of this section, if all of the following criteria apply:
(1) The homeless citizen currently resides at a homeless shelter in this state;
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, the division shall issue the following documents to a homeless citizen, meeting the eligibility criteria provided in subsection (c) of this section, at no cost to the citizen:
(1) A photo identification card or;
(2) A replacement driver’s license; Provided, That the division may not issue more than one identifying document, pursuant to this section, to any particular individual within one 30 day period.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.