Florida Senate - 2022                                     SB 144
       
       
        
       By Senator Hutson
       
       
       
       
       
       7-01465B-22                                            2022144__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to identification cards; amending s.
    3         322.051, F.S.; requiring the Department of Highway
    4         Safety and Motor Vehicles to issue or renew
    5         identification cards at no charge to persons
    6         presenting a valid voter’s registration card and
    7         attesting to financial hardship; prohibiting the
    8         department from requiring such persons to present
    9         certain evidence; requiring the department to issue
   10         identification cards at no charge to certain other
   11         persons; conforming cross-references; amending ss.
   12         322.18 and 322.21, F.S.; conforming provisions to
   13         changes made by the act; providing an effective date.
   14          
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of subsection (8)
   18  and subsection (9) of section 322.051, Florida Statutes, are
   19  amended, and subsection (10) is added to that section, to read:
   20         322.051 Identification cards.—
   21         (8)
   22         (b)1. The word “Veteran” must be exhibited on the
   23  identification card of a veteran upon the presentation of a copy
   24  of the person’s:
   25         a. DD Form 214, issued by the United States Department of
   26  Defense;
   27         b. Veteran health identification card, issued by the United
   28  States Department of Veterans Affairs;
   29         c. Veteran identification card, issued by the United States
   30  Department of Veterans Affairs pursuant to the Veterans
   31  Identification Card Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114-31; or
   32         d. Other acceptable form specified by the Department of
   33  Veterans’ Affairs.
   34         2. Until a veteran’s identification card is next renewed,
   35  the veteran may have the word “Veteran” added to his or her
   36  identification card upon surrender of his or her current
   37  identification card and presentation of any of the forms of
   38  identification specified in subparagraph 1. If the applicant is
   39  not conducting any other transaction affecting the
   40  identification card, a replacement identification card must be
   41  issued with the word “Veteran” without payment of the fee
   42  required in s. 322.21(1)(f)3.c. s. 322.21(1)(f)3.
   43         (c) The international symbol for the deaf and hard of
   44  hearing shall be exhibited on the identification card of a
   45  person who is deaf or hard of hearing upon the payment of an
   46  additional $1 fee for the identification card and the
   47  presentation of sufficient proof that the person is deaf or hard
   48  of hearing as determined by the department. Until a person’s
   49  identification card is next renewed, the person may have the
   50  symbol added to his or her identification card upon surrender of
   51  his or her current identification card, payment of a $2 fee to
   52  be deposited into the Highway Safety Operating Trust Fund, and
   53  presentation of sufficient proof that the person is deaf or hard
   54  of hearing as determined by the department. If the applicant is
   55  not conducting any other transaction affecting the
   56  identification card, a replacement identification card may be
   57  issued with the symbol without payment of the fee required in s.
   58  322.21(1)(f)3.c. s. 322.21(1)(f)3. For purposes of this
   59  paragraph, the international symbol for the deaf and hard of
   60  hearing is substantially as follows:
   61  
   62  
   63  
   64         (d) The department shall include symbols representing the
   65  following on an identification card upon the payment of an
   66  additional $1 fee by an applicant who meets the requirements of
   67  subsection (1) and presents his or her:
   68         1. Lifetime freshwater fishing license;
   69         2. Lifetime saltwater fishing license;
   70         3. Lifetime hunting license;
   71         4. Lifetime sportsman’s license; or
   72         5. Lifetime boater safety identification card.
   73  
   74  A person may replace his or her identification card before its
   75  expiration date with a card that includes his or her status as a
   76  lifetime licensee or boater safety cardholder upon surrender of
   77  his or her current identification card, payment of a $2 fee to
   78  be deposited into the Highway Safety Operating Trust Fund, and
   79  presentation of the person’s lifetime license or card. If the
   80  sole purpose of the replacement identification card is the
   81  inclusion of the applicant’s status as a lifetime licensee or
   82  cardholder, the replacement identification card must be issued
   83  without payment of the fee required in s. 322.21(1)(f)3.c. s.
   84  322.21(1)(f)3.
   85         (9)(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section
   86  or s. 322.21 to the contrary, the department shall issue or
   87  renew a card at no charge to:
   88         1.A person who presents a valid Florida voter’s
   89  registration card to the department and attests that he or she
   90  is experiencing a financial hardship. The department may not
   91  require such person to present evidence of a financial hardship.
   92         2. A person who presents evidence satisfactory to the
   93  department that he or she is homeless as defined in s.
   94  414.0252(7)., to
   95         3. A juvenile offender who is in the custody or under the
   96  supervision of the Department of Juvenile Justice and receiving
   97  services pursuant to s. 985.461., to
   98         4. An inmate receiving a card issued pursuant to s.
   99  944.605(7), or, if necessary, to an inmate receiving a
  100  replacement card if the department determines that he or she has
  101  a valid state identification card. If the replacement state
  102  identification card is scheduled to expire within 6 months, the
  103  department may also issue a temporary permit valid for at least
  104  6 months after the release date.
  105         (b) The department’s mobile issuing units shall process the
  106  identification cards for juvenile offenders and inmates at no
  107  charge, as provided by s. 944.605(7)(a) and (b).
  108         (10)Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or
  109  s. 322.21 to the contrary, the department shall issue an
  110  identification card at no charge to a person who is 80 years of
  111  age of older and whose driving privilege is denied due to
  112  failure to pass a vision test administered pursuant to s.
  113  322.18(5).
  114         Section 2. Paragraph (c) is added to subsection (5) of
  115  section 322.18, Florida Statutes, to read:
  116         322.18 Original applications, licenses, and renewals;
  117  expiration of licenses; delinquent licenses.—
  118         (5) All renewal driver licenses may be issued after the
  119  applicant licensee has been determined to be eligible by the
  120  department.
  121         (c) The department shall issue an identification card under
  122  s. 322.051 at no charge to a licensee who is at least 80 years
  123  of age and whose driving privilege is denied due to failure to
  124  pass a vision test pursuant to this subsection.
  125         Section 3. Paragraph (f) of subsection (1) of section
  126  322.21, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  127         322.21 License fees; procedure for handling and collecting
  128  fees.—
  129         (1) Except as otherwise provided herein, the fee for:
  130         (f) An original, renewal, or replacement identification
  131  card issued pursuant to s. 322.051 is $25.
  132         1., except that An applicant who meets any of the
  133  following criteria is exempt from the fee under this paragraph
  134  for an original, renewal, or replacement identification card:
  135         a.The applicant presents a valid Florida voter’s
  136  registration card to the department and attests that he or she
  137  is experiencing a financial hardship.
  138         b.The applicant presents evidence satisfactory to the
  139  department that he or she is homeless as defined in s.
  140  414.0252(7).;
  141         c.The applicant presents evidence satisfactory to the
  142  department that his or her annual income is at or below 100
  143  percent of the federal poverty level.; or
  144         d.The applicant he or she is a juvenile offender who is in
  145  the custody or under the supervision of the Department of
  146  Juvenile Justice, who is receiving services pursuant to s.
  147  985.461, and whose identification card is issued by the
  148  department’s mobile issuing units is exempt from such fee.
  149         2.Pursuant to s. 322.051(10), an applicant who is 80 years
  150  of age of older and whose driving privilege is denied due to
  151  failure to pass a vision test administered pursuant to s.
  152  322.18(5) is exempt from the fee under this paragraph for an
  153  original identification card.
  154         3. Funds collected from fees for original, renewal, or
  155  replacement identification cards shall be distributed as
  156  follows:
  157         a.1. For an original identification card issued pursuant to
  158  s. 322.051, the fee shall be deposited into the General Revenue
  159  Fund.
  160         b.2. For a renewal identification card issued pursuant to
  161  s. 322.051, $6 shall be deposited into the Highway Safety
  162  Operating Trust Fund, and $19 shall be deposited into the
  163  General Revenue Fund.
  164         c.3. For a replacement identification card issued pursuant
  165  to s. 322.051, $9 shall be deposited into the Highway Safety
  166  Operating Trust Fund, and $16 shall be deposited into the
  167  General Revenue Fund. Beginning July 1, 2015, or upon completion
  168  of the transition of the driver license issuance services, if
  169  the replacement identification card is issued by the tax
  170  collector, the tax collector shall retain the $9 that would
  171  otherwise be deposited into the Highway Safety Operating Trust
  172  Fund and the remaining revenues shall be deposited into the
  173  General Revenue Fund.
  174         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.