IDNYC Expansion of Eligible Documents

Online comments: 4

• Chrissy Rose

  I support expanding access to the IDNYC program by expanding the range of acceptable documents for identification. Please adopt this rule.

  Comment added March 12, 2025 2:41pm

• Denise

  Interested to hear exactly what documents will be accepted. My drivers license had expired and I don’t have a passport. Consequently I had an extremely difficult time getting a new photo non-drivers license. My birth certificate was issued without a first name and that wasn’t accepted. I had to go through a wry complicated and costly process of getting a name change to correct this. I’m elderly and was recovering from cancer treatment during this time. I was born here and have lived in America my whole life and couldn’t believe this would be so difficult.

  Comment added March 19, 2025 11:00am

• Natasha Lifton

  My name is Natasha Lifton, I am the Managing Director of External Affairs at Trinity Church. Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments related to proposed changes to the IDNYC program.
  Trinity Church is an Episcopal Church in Lower Manhattan with a congregation of more than 1,800 parishioners, who come from all five boroughs and form an ethnically, racially, and economically diverse congregation. In addition to our ministry, we carry out our mission of faith and social justice through direct services, grantmaking, and advocacy.
  First, we want to acknowledge and thank the Human Resources Administration (HRA) for its ongoing efforts to expand IDNYC access. The recent decision to add 23 different types of documents that can be used to establish identity and residency is an important step forward. Expanding eligibility makes IDNYC more accessible to New Yorkers who may not have had the necessary paperwork before. This kind of progress is exactly what we need to ensure that all New Yorkers can obtain valid identification and access critical services.
  However, one major gap remains: incarcerated individuals leaving Rikers Island need to have an ID in hand when they walk out the door. Right now, too many people are released without any form of official identification, which creates an immediate and unnecessary barrier to reentry. Without an ID, it’s nearly impossible to apply for a job, secure housing, or access essential healthcare and other benefits.
  We strongly urge HRA to prioritize ensuring that every individual leaving Rikers has an IDNYC card. To make this happen, HRA should work closely with the Department of Correction (DOC) to establish a streamlined process where individuals can apply for and receive their IDNYC cards before they are released. This is not just a bureaucratic fix- it’s a common-sense solution that will give people real opportunity to rebuild their lives.
  Many individuals entering Rikers have never had an official ID, while others lose theirs during arrest and processing. Some are released without the ID they were originally arrested with, and for those who experience housing instability, proving residency becomes an even greater challenge. These systemic gaps can keep people trapped in cycles of instability and recidivism.
  Thank you for your time and for your continued efforts to expand access to IDNYC. We look forward to working together to ensure that every New Yorker, no matter their circumstances, has the identification they need to move forward.

  Comment attachment
  Trinity-Church-IDNYC-HRA-Comments-March-28-2025.pdf

  Comment added March 21, 2025 12:49pm

• Michael McFadden

  Although well intentioned this proposal has some serious problems that must be considered and addressed. The acceptance of any type of correctional department or offender identification ID Card is a true mistake that has clearly not been recognized – for the complete lack of verification of identity that it represents. The determination of the true identity of a criminal offender is not a part of the criminal justice process. This may come as a surprise, but it is a fact. A defendant/offender is merely asked what his or her name is during the arrest process and that name and DOB will remain with them for the duration of their case. No proof of anything related to the use of the name and DOB used is followed up on. As a retired law enforcement officer, I have been involved in and have prosecuted multiple cases where defendants have used identities that were not their own during their arrest, prosecution, incarceration, and even while on parole. Nowhere in the criminal justice process is there any effort to determine the true identity of an offender, the false use of another person’s identity is never challenged or investigated, it simply becomes another – Also Known As – or (AKA). To allow the use of these types of identification cards will further allow the legitimization of the use of the assumed and false or stolen identity. By allowing the obtaining of official NYC ID – identification documents – by using these completely unverified, and many times false names and DOB’s when arrested, is and would continue to be inexcusable. There is no reason that can justify this identified weakness, to allow for the use of these unverified and known to be questionable “identification documents” to obtain a NYC ID. You are in effect providing a back door to formerly incarcerated criminals to more easily and without real proof of their actual true identity to obtain identification documents. A vastly different and laxer process then what is available to the rest of the public. How does this make any sense???

  Comment added March 26, 2025 2:31pm