IDs for an Inclusive Democracy Act
Bill: H.R.8821 | Sponsor: Rep. Casten, Sean (D-IL)
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
IDs for an Inclusive Democracy Act
This bill directs the Social Security Administration (SSA) to produce and make available at no cost to certain individuals in the United States an identification (ID) for the purpose of allowing such individuals to satisfy ID requirements.
Such ID must include a photograph and specified information, as well as security features. It shall be valid for a 10-year period. To receive an ID, an individual must be at least 14 years of age.
The SSA must develop and implement a campaign to educate the public with respect to the ID, including how an individual can receive and use it.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) must develop and implement a process that enables individuals to apply for the ID through the USPS, including a process for a first-time ID and renewal, modeled after the process for passport applications.
The bill establishes a Task Force on Federal Identification Cards for the purpose of determining the requirements to produce and make available the ID.
The task force shall (1) issue a report on the requirements, including a requirement that the SSA and the USPS establish procedures to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of any information obtained with respect to individuals who seek assistance in obtaining the ID; and (2) develop and publish recommendations for voluntary best practices for nonprofit organizations and entities that provide services to vulnerable populations with respect to how such organizations and entities can assist individuals to obtain the ID.

To require the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration to 
  produce and make available at no cost to certain individuals in the 
   United States an identification for the purpose of allowing such 
individuals to meet certain identification requirements, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``IDs for an Inclusive Democracy 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FEDERAL IDENTIFICATION CARDS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Commissioner of the Social Security 
Administration shall produce and make available at no cost to 
individuals in the United States who submit an application under 
subsection (f) an identification pursuant to the requirements in the 
report issued by the Task Force on Federal Identification Cards under 
section 3(i) that can be presented by such individuals to satisfy 
certain identification requirements.
    (b) Use of Identification.--With respect to an individual, the 
identification described in subsection (a) shall be deemed sufficient 
to satisfy identification requirements to the same extent and for the 
same purposes that any driver's license or identification card issued 
by a State is accepted to satisfy such requirements.
    (c) Content of Identification.--With respect to an individual, the 
identification described in subsection (a) shall include--
            (1) the full name of the individual;
            (2) the date of birth of the individual;
            (3) the gender of the individual, which shall include an 
        option for male, female, and X (representing an unspecified or 
        other gender identity), as attested by the individual;
            (4) a photograph of the individual;
            (5) a unique identification number;
            (6) the date the identification was issued to the 
        individual; and
            (7) the date on which the identification is no longer 
        valid.
    (d) Security Features of Identification.--The identification 
described in subsection (a) shall include--
            (1) physical security features to make the identification 
        resistant to tampering, counterfeiting, duplicating, and 
        fraudulent use; and
            (2) common machine-readable identity information based on 
        defined minimum data elements as determined by the Task Force 
        on Federal Identification Cards established under section 3(a).
    (e) Period of Validity of Identification.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), with 
        respect to an individual, the identification described in 
        subsection (a) shall be valid for the 10-year period which 
        begins on the date the identification is issued by the 
        Commissioner of the Social Security Administration to the 
        individual.
            (2) Special rule for certain individuals.--Notwithstanding 
        paragraph (1), in the case of an individual with a valid 
        identification--
                    (A) who is under the age of 18, such identification 
                shall only be valid during the period beginning on the 
                date the identification is issued to the individual and 
                ending on the date the individual reaches the age of 
                18, after which the individual may submit an 
                application for a renewal under subsection (f)(2); and
                    (B) who reaches 65 years of age or older during the 
                period the identification is valid, the identification 
                of such individual shall be deemed valid upon the 
                expiration of the 10-year validity period for such 
                identification without requiring a renewal of such 
                identification.
    (f) Eligibility Requirements.--
            (1) In general.--To receive an identification under this 
        section, an individual who is at least 14 years of age or older 
        shall submit an application at such time and containing such 
        information as the Task Force on Federal Identification Cards 
        established under section 3(a) determines appropriate.
            (2) Renewal application.--To receive a renewal of the 
        identification described in subsection (a), an individual shall 
        submit an application at such time and containing such 
        information as the Task Force on Federal Identification Cards 
        established under section 3(a) determines appropriate, except 
        that an individual shall not be required to provide documents 
        that include the personally identifiable information of such 
        individual unless any of such personally identifiable 
        information has changed with respect to the most recent 
        application submitted by the individual.
    (g) Public Education Campaign.--Not later than 6 months before the 
date the identification is made available to individuals under 
subsection (a), the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration 
shall develop and implement a campaign to educate the public with 
respect to the identification described in subsection (a), including 
how an individual can receive and use such an identification to satisfy 
certain identification requirements.
    (h) Postal Service Application Process.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Postmaster General of the United 
        States Postal Service shall, in consultation with the 
        Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, develop and 
        implement a process pursuant to the requirements of paragraph 
        (2) that enables individuals to apply for the identification 
        described in subsection (a) through the United States Postal 
        Service, including a process with respect to an application for 
        a first-time identification and a renewal of such 
        identification, which shall be modeled after the process with 
        respect to applications for a passport through the Postal 
        Service.
            (2) Process requirements.--The process developed under 
        paragraph (1) shall include, with respect to an individual, an 
        option to--
                    (A) receive full service at a post office location, 
                including by providing photography services at no cost 
                to the individual;
                    (B) submit an application online through the 
                website of the Postal Service;
                    (C) mail a written application described in 
                subsection (f) through the mail service of the Postal 
                Service at no cost to the individual; and
                    (D) with respect to an approved identification of 
                an individual, receive such identification through mail 
                service to the individual's address or a post office 
                location, at the option of the individual.
    (i) State Defined.--In this section, the term ``State'' means each 
of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, 
and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

SEC. 3. TASK FORCE ON FEDERAL IDENTIFICATION CARDS.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a Task Force on Federal 
Identification Cards (in this section referred to as the ``Task 
Force'') for the purpose of determining the requirements to produce and 
make available the identification described in section 2(a).
    (b) Membership.--The Task Force shall be composed of at least 9 
members as follows:
            (1) The Commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
            (2) At least 1 representative from the Election Assistance 
        Commission.
            (3) At least 1 representative from the Domestic Policy 
        Council.
            (4) At least 1 representative from the United States Postal 
        Service.
            (5) At least 1 representative from the Consumer Financial 
        Protection Bureau.
            (6) At least 1 representative from the Department of 
        Housing and Urban Development.
            (7) At least 1 representative from the Department of 
        Education.
            (8) At least 1 representative from the Department of Labor.
            (9) At least 1 representative from the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs.
            (10) The Commissioner of the Social Security 
        Administration, in collaboration with the representatives 
        described in paragraphs (2) through (9), may appoint such other 
        individuals with relevant expertise or experience as the Task 
        Force shall determine appropriate and the Task Force shall, 
        with respect to any such appointees, make efforts to ensure 
        that populations that have been disproportionately affected by 
        the lack of access to identification are represented.
    (c) Deadline for Appointment.--All appointments to the Task Force 
shall be made not later than 8 months after the date of the enactment 
of this Act.
    (d) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Task Force shall be filled in 
the same manner as the original appointment.
    (e) Prohibition on Compensation of Federal Employees.--Members of 
the Task Force who are full-time officers or employees of the United 
States may not receive additional pay, allowances, or benefits by 
reason of their service on the Task Force.
    (f) Travel Expenses.--Except as provided in subsection (e), each 
member shall receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
subsistence, in accordance with applicable provisions under subchapter 
I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code.
    (g) Support Staff; Administrative Services.--
            (1) Support staff.--The Commissioner of the Social Security 
        Administration, any representatives from the Election 
        Assistance Commission, and any representatives from the 
        Domestic Policy Council shall provide support staff for the 
        Task Force.
            (2) Administrative services.--Upon the request of the Task 
        Force, the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, 
        any representatives from the Election Assistance Commission, 
        and any representatives from the Domestic Policy Council shall 
        provide any information, administrative services, and supplies 
        that such Commissioner and representatives jointly consider 
        necessary for the Task Force to carry out its duties under this 
        section.
    (h) Nonapplicability of Federal Advisory Committee Act.--The 
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the 
Task Force.
    (i) Report on Requirements for Producing and Making Identifications 
Available.--
            (1) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Task Force shall issue a report 
        regarding the requirements to produce and make available the 
        identification described in section 2(a).
            (2) Prohibiting unauthorized disclosure of information.--
        The Task Force shall include in the report issued under this 
        subsection a requirement that the Commissioner of Social 
        Security and the Postmaster General shall establish procedures 
        to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of any information 
        obtained with respect to individuals who seek assistance in 
        obtaining the identification described in section 2(a).
    (j) Development of Voluntary Best Practices.--Not later than 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Task Force shall 
develop and publish recommendations for voluntary best practices for 
nonprofit organizations and entities that provide services to 
vulnerable populations with respect to how such organizations and 
entities can assist individuals to obtain the identification described 
in section 2(a), which shall include--
            (1) recommendations with respect to how such organizations 
        and entities can provide full service to individuals to obtain 
        such identification; and
            (2) recommendations to minimize the barriers faced by such 
        individuals, including individuals from groups which have been 
        disproportionately affected by the lack of access to 
        identification, in obtaining documentation of the information 
        necessary to obtain the identification.
    (k) Termination.--The Task Force shall terminate on the date the 
identification is made available to individuals under section 2(a).

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act.
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