Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu
Written Remarks into the House Journal – Consent Calendar
March 10, 2009; 26th Day
Stand. Comm. Rep. No. 819, H.B. 623, H.D. 1, Relating to State Identification.
I rise in support of House Bill 623, House Draft 1, Relating to State Identification. State identification is vital for seniors, children, and other individuals who do not possess a driver’s license or other picture identification. Currently, obtaining a state identification card (certificate of identification) is a lengthy process because processing and administration is conducted at a single location with limited hours of operation. This leads to long lines and some individuals are turned away due to the daily demand. There have been recent attempts to bring state identification personnel into the community, but only for specific dates and times.
Community members and organizations such as the Waipahu Neighborhood Board recognize that the City & County of Honolulu’s satellite city halls are convenient locations for state identification processing. Satellite city halls provide services with extended hours, weekend availability, and convenient locations.
The authority to process and issue state identification cards is vested in the attorney general. The purpose of this bill is to allow the attorney general to contract with one or more counties to process and issue state identification cards at satellite city halls or other locations. Thank you.
JON RIKI KARAMATSU 