As a result of a new bill, efforts to create municipal ID cards in Phoenix could be derailed if the bill gains enough support. A legislative subcommittee did vote in favor of the potential law on Wednesday that, if passed, would exact restrictions on the municipal ID cards. (kjzz.org)
The Phoenix City Council voted to acquire more information about the municipal ID cards which are proposed to have standards that are more relaxed that state issued cards. If State Senator John Kavanagh’s bill is passed, it would prohibit that the proposed ID cards be labeled as official government identification. They would need to be classified solely for municipal services.
“Phoenix can issue their government ID card. The law allows that. But they must use the acceptable standards of verifying who the person is and excluding people who are here illegally. That’s what proper government ID is all about,” Kavanagh said.
Those who support the bill have pointed out that it would be of help to undocumented immigrants, the homeless and others who need basic access to city services.
Councilwoman Kate Gallego expressed that she felt as though Kavanagh was prematurely reacting since the proposed ID cards do not exist yet.
She stated that “the city is well within its right to determine what kind of ID we require for different services.” She added, “This is not a card that would be used to prove citizenship to vote, so it doesn’t have the same type of requirements, but we want people to use our city services like our libraries.”