119-hr1457

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1457 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 1457

 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.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 February 21, 2025

 Mr. Casten (for himself, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Ms. Scanlon, Mr. 
Thanedar, Mr. Deluzio, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, and Mrs. Watson Coleman) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
 Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 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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