HF 1436

as introduced - 84th Legislature (2005 - 2006) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to identification documents; providing for
uniform standards for drivers' licenses and other
documents; prohibiting certain acts; providing for an
audit; providing penalties; appropriating money;
amending Minnesota Statutes 2004, sections 144.05, by
adding a subdivision; 144.227, subdivision 2; 171.07,
subdivision 9, by adding a subdivision.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 144.05, is
amended by adding a subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Documents standards. new text end

new text begin The Department of Health
shall, by rule, provide uniform standards for the creation of
birth certificates and other vital statistics documents. The
standards shall be adopted in accordance with chapter 14. In
preparing the standards, the commissioner of health shall
consult the commissioner of public safety and other affected
state departments and local authorities. The commissioner of
health shall consider security requirements, the practices of
other states, the proposals of state associations, and federal
recommendations. Documents and replacements of documents issued
in 2008 and thereafter shall conform to the standards.
new text end

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 144.227,
subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Fraud.

A person who, without lawful authority
and with the intent to deceive, willfully and knowingly makes,
counterfeits, alters, obtains, possesses, uses, or sells a
certificate, vital record, or report required to be filed under
sections 144.211 to 144.227 or a certified certificate, vital
record, or report, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

new text begin A public employee who willfully and knowingly issues a
counterfeited or altered certificate, vital record, report, or
copy of a certificate, vital record, or report filed under
sections 144.211 to 144.227 is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
new text end

new text begin A person who willfully and knowingly provides a blank
document or other material for use in a counterfeited or altered
certificate, vital record, or report of a kind required to be
filed under sections 144.211 to 144.227 is guilty of a gross
misdemeanor.
new text end

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 171.07,
subdivision 9, is amended to read:

Subd. 9.

Improved security.

The commissioner shall
develop deleted text begin new deleted text end drivers' licenses and identification cards deleted text begin , to be
issued beginning January 1, 1994, deleted text end that must be as impervious to
alteration as is reasonably practicable in their design and
quality of material and technology. new text begin In the development of the
licenses and cards, the commissioner shall consider the
standards for documents provided under section 144.05,
subdivision 5, security requirements, the practices of other
states, the proposals of state associations, and federal
recommendations. new text end The driver's license security laminate shall
be made from materials not readily available to the general
public. The design and technology employed must enable the
driver's license and identification card to be subject to two or
more methods of visual verification capable of clearly
indicating the presence of tampering or counterfeiting. The
driver's license and identification card must not be susceptible
to reproduction by photocopying or simulation and must be highly
resistant to data or photograph substitution and other tampering.

Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 171.07, is
amended by adding a subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 9a. new text end

new text begin Information documents. new text end

new text begin In 2009 and thereafter,
a birth certificate or other document provided by a Minnesota
authority and presented in an application for a driver's license
must conform to the standards provided under section 144.05,
subdivision 5. A birth certificate or other document from
another state or country must provide equivalent assurance of
its authenticity. The commissioner may, by rule, provide
detailed standards for the enforcement of this subdivision.
new text end

Sec. 5. new text begin DOCUMENT PROCESS AUDIT; APPROPRIATION.
new text end

new text begin $200,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the
Department of Public Safety for an audit of the processes for
the issuance of drivers' licenses, birth certificates, and other
vital statistics and similar documents in Minnesota to suggest
improvements in those processes to better assure the accuracy of
the documents, the security of their use for identification, and
the avoidance of fraud. The commissioner shall report the
results of the audit to the legislature and the governor.
new text end