#municipalid

NYC is the country’s largest city to offer a municipal ID card to all residents—including undocumented immigrants. Mayor Bill de Blasio is one step closer to making good on a commitment he made in his State of the City speech this year, officially signing a law that will create a municipal identification card for city residents, regardless of immigration status, beginning in January 2015. “We know of course that there a number of people who do have ID, but for those who don’t, they live a different life,” de Blasio said at Thursday's bill signing ceremony, adding, “It’s not just bad for the individuals, it’s bad for the whole city when people don’t have that kind of inclusion. Today we’re going to change that.” The municipal ID card is intended to help people to access city services and enter city buildings. Officials are also negotiating with banks, stores, restaurants and cultural institutions to also recognize the municipal ID cards, but offered few examples Thursday about where the card would be accepted. It’s also not clear what the card will look like. Read the full wnyc story here: http://www.wnyc.org/story/coming-jan-2015-nyc-municipal-id-card/

The current Municipal ID proposal, as framed by the Mayor, focuses primarily on getting IDs to undocumented immigrants. De Blasio has said “To all of my fellow New Yorkers who are undocumented, I say: New York City is your home too, and we will not force ANY of our residents to live their lives in the shadows.” But why not do something bold, big that makes New York City a really progressive city and gives even more power to our undocumented population? If the mayor’s project is to break “the tale of two cities,” he needs to do something for everyone, not just little things for a few people. A municipal ID should serve every New Yorker by providing login access to city services and information. We should be able to register kids in school, access the library and reserve book, fill out a complaint, applying for classes and services provided by the city and non-for-profit organizations. It could even be used for elections concerning municipal issues. You could also forget about waiting for the next Census