Vermont Legislature SmartTranscripts:

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair, Senate Transportation)]: Yeah. You're on? Hold on. Yeah. So this is Senate Transportation, and we're going live again. And we are here with the chair of corrections and institutions in the house, and we are talking about your bill is five forty nine, but we also have a section within the miscellaneous DMV bill. And it's nice to see somebody that's been around longer than I have.

[Rep. Alice Emmons (Chair, House Corrections & Institutions)]: No. You and I keep in together. Don't you forget that. You were the younger one. I was the next younger one. Now look at us.

[Unidentified Member (Senate Transportation Committee)]: Yeah. Thank you for your service.

[Rep. Alice Emmons (Chair, House Corrections & Institutions)]: Yeah. We don't have the language from Doug yet.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair, Senate Transportation)]: Can you just speak issues?

[Rep. Alice Emmons (Chair, House Corrections & Institutions)]: Yeah. For the record, I'm representative of Alan Simmons, chair of the House of Corrections and Institutions Committee. I'll just give you the real broad scope of what we're looking at. And we do have Nancy Prescott here from DMV for backup on this. Our original bill was to only allow for the non driver ID. And the current law is sentenced folks can receive a non driver ID. And the proposal initially from H549 was to extend that to detainees. But there is another type of process that needs to be put in place with DOC and DMV to address detainees being able to get non driver ID. So, that's where our first work was. Then the language came along from the Commissioner of DMV to extend what happens in DOC and DMV for folks who are under DOC's custody to be able to continue with their driver's license if it has been expired within a three year period or extend their learner's permit if it has expired within a two year period. So, we started looking at this for just folks who were sentenced because folks who were sentenced, DOC knows when that person will be released. So, they can work in advance with DMV to get everything in place in time for their release. So, that's what we've been working on for the language to track both DOC's world and DMV's world. And we're on board with that. Yesterday, it was brought up that if we're doing the non driver ID and we're extending that to detainees, can we set that same process in place for detainees to continue with their driver's license or learner's permit if the expiration occurred within that time frame? So that's the direction we're looking at and we're waiting for language from Legislative Council for that. So that's where we are right now. We hope to have that language in either later on this afternoon or tomorrow. I know you're on a timeframe for Friday. I'm working with legislative council. We have two ledge council folks who are working on this. Judicial person, Hillary, and then Damian's working on the DMV part. So that's where we are. And I'm gonna, Nancy, don't know, I hope I explained everything correctly in your world because we've been spending a lot of time with DMV in terms of the processes that they

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair, Senate Transportation)]: need But you're to really close with DMV and to make sure that think this committee is open as soon as you get that language. If you need to come back, we're we're happy to have you. If if we have jointly approved language, I Damian can run through the Let

[Rep. Alice Emmons (Chair, House Corrections & Institutions)]: me just explain a little bit of what the process would be. Because right now with the driver ID, non driver ID and this would work the same for folks who are sentenced for license improvements. Right now, DOC can gather the information, their residency and their social security number for the REAL ID, non real and REAL ID. DOC gathers that information and sends it over to DMV. And DMV knows that those are the credentials that have been met. And then DMV will issue a non driver ID at DMV's cost, which is $3.30. The same process would be in place for the renewal of their driver's license for those who are sentenced and the learner's permit if it expired within that three year window or the two year window. So, DOC would submit that information to DMV and then DMV would send that driver's license or learner's permit, same as they do for the non driver ID to the DOC central office Waterbury and then DOC would then send it to the correct facility where the person's being helped. For detainees, it's a little different because DOC does not know when that release date will be because that could be that's up to the courts. So what we've put in place for detainees for the non driver ID as well as for the license and the permits is DOC will gather the information, the residency and the social security information, keep it in house until that detainee is released and then when their belongings are returned to them, they'll have this little packet with all those credentials there that the person can then go down to DMV to get their driver's license permit at no cost to them. Again, it would be DMV that picks up that cost. I hope I'm correct. So that's the thinking right now for that.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair, Senate Transportation)]: So it's really two tracks?

[Rep. Alice Emmons (Chair, House Corrections & Institutions)]: Two separate tracks because sentence folks, DOC knows pretty much when they're gonna be released. So it's part of their reentry planning. Detainees is a whole different. So, that's where we're at at this point. And DOC is supportive of going forward with this and DMV is also supportive.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair, Senate Transportation)]: So if it sounds like everybody's together and we'll look to Damian to get us your language and if we no one raises any questions with that, we I think we're on calls. I haven't heard anyone around the table say otherwise that that we were happy to put it in and, you know, give it a vehicle to ride.

[Rep. Alice Emmons (Chair, House Corrections & Institutions)]: And we would also be doing h five forty nine at the same time with the exact same language. Yeah. So we've got two tracks.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair, Senate Transportation)]: It never hurts. Have the tape. Yes.

[Unidentified Member (Senate Transportation Committee)]: Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think this is really good effort and program and because it's so important for the folks to have that status, whether it's the real ID or the regular ID or the non driver ID. And thank you for working on this. If it's possible to get the detainee to have a license, think that would be even better, but there's probably a reason why we're not looking at that. If DMV could turn it around pretty quick.

[Rep. Alice Emmons (Chair, House Corrections & Institutions)]: It's not the problem with DMV. The issue is DOC with detainees. DOC does not know when that person's going to be released as a detainee. That's up to the court. Right now you have to be sentenced for six months in order to qualify. For a detainee, you'd also have to be a detainee for six months to qualify. A detainee could be there for eight months. They could be there for two years and ultimately sentenced. Or they could be there for two years and released. So you can't have a driver's license or a learner's permit for a detainee that is sitting there for we don't know how long. And then by that time it could expire because DOC is in control of a reentry for a detainee because they haven't been sentenced. They're waiting for court to be sentenced. Right. So that's why we have worked with DMV and DOC. The DOC would gather the residency requirement and the social security number and have that in place for the detainee to bring to the DMV office.

[Unidentified Member (Senate Transportation Committee)]: Which is a much better situation than they have now.

[Rep. Alice Emmons (Chair, House Corrections & Institutions)]: Which is nothing. As long as they can get to the DMV office. It's your transportation. I know. Maybe you can help

[Unidentified Member (Senate Transportation Committee)]: them. Yeah. Thanks for bringing that up.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair, Senate Transportation)]: Thank you so much.

[Rep. Alice Emmons (Chair, House Corrections & Institutions)]: And as soon as we have the language

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair, Senate Transportation)]: As soon as you get the language, I think we're ready to be helping. Yep. And we will look to local senate institutions to just give us the nod. Yes.

[Rep. Alice Emmons (Chair, House Corrections & Institutions)]: And then 550 549 will be coming over, and then we can have the dual track. Perfect. And I I've also given a heads up to our house transportation chair that this will

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair, Senate Transportation)]: be in the works. K. Thank you so much. You're welcome.

[Unidentified Member (Senate Transportation Committee)]: Thanks. Thank you.

[Sen. Richard Westman (Chair, Senate Transportation)]: You could take us offline.