From: tenney@netcom.com (Glenn S. Tenney)
Subject: Re: Calif DMV DEMANDS SSN for Driver License!?
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 00:25:05 GMT

There are two chunks to this discussion.

1. CA DMV already requires SSN for *new* applications.
   My son wants to get his learner's permit and brought the
   form home from school.  I spent hours on the phone with
   CA (and Nevada) DMV and with Chris Hibbert on this.
   Let me start by quoting the new applicant's form:

   "Your social security number will be collected pursuant to 42 USC 405 
   and California Vehicle Code 1653.5, 4150, 4150.2, and 12800.  Is is
   used in the administration of driver license AND MOTOR VEHICLE
   REGISTRATION laws [emphasis added] and to respond to requests for 
   information from an agency operating pursuant to 42 USC 601 et seq.
   The social security number is used to maintain a numerical identification
   system to determine eligibility for issuance and renewal of a driver
   license, identification card, and vehicle registration and title
   documents; to aid in the collection of monies owed in connection with
   failure to pay a fine or failure to appear in court by an applicant;
   and to aid in collection of monies owed by an applicant in connection
   with Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Child Support and
   Establishment of Paternity and Federal Payments for Foster Care and
   Adoption Assistance programs."

   The CA DMV supervisor with whom I spoke said that not only must
   you provide your SSN, but it must be VERIFIED.  They can accept
   only one of the four following items as verification:   Show your
   Social Security Card; get a letter from the SS admin; present
   a pay stub with you SSN on it; or present your W-2 form with your
   SSN on it.  If you do not have a SSN, you *must* get one -- period.
   They will not in any way, shape or form process a new application
   without SSN and VERIFICATION of ssn.

2. My wife also just got her renewal form.
   That same CA DMV supervisor said that renewals do not need to
   include SSN until 1 January.  She said that if you processed your
   renewal before 1993, then you would not need to provide the ssn.
   This left me with a question that I didn't ask:  Since the
   renewal is by mail, how would the DMV verify the ssn?


I am so adamant about not giving out our ssn (no, even TRW doesn't
have it) that I can't get my Prop. 13 homeowner's exemption
(our county requires it to give you the exemption mandated by law).
I will fight this tooth and nail, or move.  I did contact the
Nevada DMV to find out how one gets a Nevada DL.

The administration person I spoke with said that you need to
claim residence in Nevada (obviously that could be a mail drop),
and that you *had* to change driver licenses after 45 days of
being a Nevada resident.  However, they also require the ssn
(which is used to compute your DL number!).  BUT, she said that
if it bothered you enough, and you complained enough to a supervisor,
they can issue you a DL without it (you'd think their law either
does or does not require it, but...?).  It seems that if you don't
have an SSN, they will issue you a DL anyway as long as you say you
will get your ssn (or somesuch escape clause).

The Nevada DL person said that the way most people get trapped
when getting a Nevada DL and maintaining residences in both
Nevada and another state is by NOT also getting Nevada license
plates.


I can not see *any* way that this assinine CA law is NOT an invasion
of our privacy as protected by the CA constitution.  Turns out that
our State senator (no longer our senator after re-districting)
Becky Morgan authored this stupid bill!!!

Chris Hibbert said that he/CPSR was too busy / understaffed to
press this.  Chris said that he'd pass on to me the name of an
attorney who might be interested in handling a suit.  I'll post
more when I know it...


-- 
Glenn Tenney
voice: (415) 574-3420      fax: (415) 574-0546
tenney@netcom.com          Ham radio: AA6ER
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk