Senate Bill to Continue Necessary Document Program
Senate Bill 21-018, the Continuation of the Necessary Document Program, will be introduced to the Colorado State Senate during the first regular session of 2021.
The Necessary Document Program was first introduced in 2015 as a grant program to assist low-income individuals in acquiring a Colorado ID. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment was allocated $300,000 to distribute among various Colorado nonprofits who were well-versed in helping to secure IDs for low-income or otherwise disadvantaged people. Senate Bill 21-018 would indefinitely extend the Necessary Document Program and continue to allow nonprofits to pay the required fees to obtain official documents for those in need.
Metro Caring, a Denver nonprofit working to end hunger, is endorsing the bill and released a series of statements from community members and politicians on the importance of extending the program.
“When I found myself out-of-work and living out of my car, it was one of the lowest points in my life. I didn’t see how I could ever get back on my feet. Thanks to the ID Voucher Program, I was able to obtain a copy of my driver’s license for a new job opportunity. I’ve been at that job for two years now, and have moved out of my car and into an apartment,” says Sofía Rodríguez, a community member who benefited from the program.
House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar, the sponsor of SB 21-018, stated, “Without an identification card, Colorado residents cannot open bank accounts, cash a check, pick up a prescription, or access health care, housing, employment, and public benefits. During this economic crisis with thousands of Coloradans losing their jobs, healthcare, and even their housing, we must do everything we can to make it easier for folks to get back on their feet. And that includes ensuring that the cost of an ID is not a barrier to getting back to work.”
The bill will be voted on during the first session of the Seventy-third General Assembly, which began on January 13, 2021.
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