South Dakota's homeless may soon have easier access to their state IDs, birth certificates

PIERRE — A pair of bills meant to help people experiencing homelessness get access to free copies of birth certificates and state IDs passed the Senate on Tuesday and now head to the Governor’s desk for her approval.

HB 1098, which passed 28-5, allows for the state to waive the $15 fee for a birth certificate copy if the person experiencing homelessness and a community service provider signs an affidavit certifying that the person is homeless.

The other bill, HB 1131, passed 27-6. Similar to HB 1098, the $28 non-driver’s license state ID fee is paid by the state. Again, the person applying for the ID must sign an affidavit with a community service provider certifying the person’s homeless status. The person applying for the fee waiver can also only apply once for the new ID card.

Rep. Tyler Tordsen, R-Sioux Falls, and Rep. Kadyn Wittman, D-Sioux Falls, sponsored the bill package, explaining on Monday during the Senate Health and Human Services committee that they had attended a legislative conference during the summer about how states are taking steps to address homelessness.

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Wittman ran her 2022 campaign on HB 1131 after she noticed the difficulty people experiencing homelessness face when trying to get an ID while she worked at the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House in Sioux Falls.

“This bill acknowledges how essential possessing a valid ID is for accessing vital services such as health care and housing,” she said. “I believe this legislation… reaffirms South Dakota’s values of compassion, dignity and equal opportunity.”

Tordsen described his bill, HB 1098, as “a hand-up, not a handout” and said the state already waived the birth certificate fee for families enrolling children in the Head Start program or American Legion baseball.

“What I love about this legislation is that it’s a sign of good government; taking care of those who are vulnerable,” he said.

In previous committee testimony on the bills, other proponents explained that if someone is fleeing a domestic violence situation and becomes homeless, they aren’t thinking about grabbing their birth certificate. Sometimes, people experiencing severe mental illness who become homeless also don’t have copies of their ID.

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Birth certificates and state IDs are essential for getting jobs and a replacement social security card, filling out tax documents and applying for housing.

Based on the estimated 1,108 people experiencing homelessness in 2023, the birth certificate fee waiver will potentially cost the state, within the Department of Health, just over $16,000 in the first year, and then $4,000 in subsequent years. The ID fee waiver could cost the state Department of Public Safety $32,000 in the first year, and then up to $7,600 in subsequent years.

Additionally, both bills would only apply to people born in South Dakota and currently experiencing homelessness in South Dakota.

Sen. Liz Larson, D-Sioux Falls, when introducing HB 1098 on the Senate floor said the bill “is cheap, easy and helpful for our communities.”

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota's homeless may soon have easier access to vital records