House Bill 63

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 63-1-13 AND 63-1-15, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE ADDITIONAL TRAINING OF DRIVER'S LICENSE PERSONNEL; TO AMEND SECTION 63-1-35, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT THE REQUIREMENT THAT AN APPLICANT FOR A DRIVER'S LICENSE PRESENT THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY SHALL NOT BE APPLICABLE TO A PERSON WHO FILES AN AFFIDAVIT WITH THE DEPARTMENT AFFIRMING THAT THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN ISSUED A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER; TO AMEND SECTION 63-1-19, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PRESCRIBE THE TYPES OF DOCUMENTS THAT AN APPLICANT FOR A MISSISSIPPI DRIVER'S LICENSE MAY PROVIDE TO THE DRIVER'S LICENSE EXAMINER IN ORDER TO SHOW PROOF OF RESIDENCE; TO CREATE NEW SECTION 63-1-20, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO AUTHORIZE A CERTIFICATE FOR DRIVING; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. Section 63-1-13, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

63-1-13. (1) The commissioner is hereby authorized and empowered to appoint a Director of the Driver Services Division who is a qualified elector of the State of Mississippi and who meets the qualifications set by the State Personnel Board for the position. Such director shall execute and furnish a bond in the amount of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) with a surety company authorized to do business in this state. The bond shall be conditioned on the faithful performance of his duties and be subject to the approval of the commissioner. The director shall have control and supervision of the Driver Services Division and shall be answerable to the commissioner in the performance of his duties.

(2) The commissioner shall employ such other technical, professional and clerical assistants as may be needed to conduct the work of the division. The commissioner is also authorized to employ a Director of the Driver License Examining Bureau, who meets the qualifications set by the State Personnel Board for the position, and the necessary supervising examiners, who meet the qualifications set by the State Personnel Board for the position, to assist the Director of the Driver License Examining Bureau in the supervision of the license personnel. The commissioner is also authorized to employ the necessary additional personnel to serve and be designated as "license examiners." The commissioner shall employ such other technical, professional and clerical assistants as may be needed to conduct the work of the bureau. However, not later than July 1, 2021, the commissioner shall not employ an active-service Highway Patrol Officer in the bureau.

(3) From and after July 1, 2024, the commissioner shall ensure that each staff person employed under the authority of this section be retrained to accept civil rights complaints.

SECTION 2. Section 63-1-15, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

63-1-15. (1) The Commissioner of Public Safety shall be authorized to designate persons who may act as examiners for license or instruction permits, and all such persons shall be trained in compliance with the provisions of House Bill No. , 2024 Regular Session.

(2) It shall be the duty of the license examiners to forward to the commissioner all applications rejected or approved in accordance with such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the commissioner.

SECTION 3. Section 63-1-35, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

63-1-35. (1) The Commissioner of Public Safety shall prescribe the form of license issued pursuant to this article which shall, among other features, include a driver's license number assigned by the Department of Public Safety. A licensee shall list his social security number with the department which shall cross reference the social security number with the driver's license number for purposes of identification. Additionally, each license shall bear a full-face color photograph of the licensee in such form that the license and the photograph cannot be separated. The photograph shall be taken so that one (1) exposure will photograph the applicant and the application simultaneously on the same film. The department shall use a process in the issuance of a license with a color photograph that shall prevent as nearly as possible any alteration, counterfeiting, duplication, reproduction, forging or modification of the license or the superimposition of a photograph without ready detection. The photograph shall be replaced by the department at the time of renewal. Drivers' licenses, including photographs appearing thereon, may be renewed by electronic means according to rules and regulations promulgated by the commissioner in conformity to Section 27-104-33.

(2) The commissioner shall prescribe the form of license issued pursuant to this article to licensees who are not United States citizens and who do not possess a social security number issued by the United States government. The license of such persons shall include a number and/or other identifying features.

(3) Any new, renewal or duplicate driver's license, temporary driving permit or commercial driver's license issued to a person required to register as a sex offender pursuant to Section 45-33-25 shall bear a designation identifying the licensee or permittee as a sex offender.

(4) The commissioner is authorized to provide the new, renewal or duplicate driver's license, temporary driving permit or commercial driver's license to any honorably discharged veteran as defined in Title 38 of the United States Code, and such license or permit shall exhibit the letters "Vet" or any other mark identifying the person as a veteran. The veteran requesting the "Vet" designation shall present his DD-214, Military Retiree Identification Card, United States Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Identification Card, United States Department of Veterans Affairs Identification Card or National Guard Form NGB 22. The veteran requesting the "Vet" designation may present his DD-214, Military Retiree Identification Card, United States Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Identification Card, United States Department of Veterans Affairs Identification Card or National Guard Form NGB 22 in person at the Mississippi Department of Public Safety Driver's License Station.

(5) Not later than July 1, 2021, the commissioner shall develop and implement a driver's license or driving permit in electronic format as an additional option for license or permit holders. Acceptable electronic formats include display of electronic images on a cellular phone or any other type of electronic device.

(6) If false documents are provided by an individual for purposes of obtaining a veteran driver's license, such action shall be considered fraudulent use of identity under Section 97-19-85, Mississippi Code of 1972, and shall be punishable, upon conviction, as a felony pursuant to the provisions of that section.

(7) An applicant who does not have, or who states that he or she has never been issued, a social security number as required under subsection (1) of this section, shall complete an affidavit, under penalty of perjury, affirming that he or she has never been issued a social security number.

SECTION 4. Section 63-1-19, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

63-1-19. (1) * * * ~~(a)~~ Every applicant for a license or permit issued pursuant to this article, or for renewal of such license or permit, shall file an application for such license, permit or renewal, on a form provided by the Department of Public Safety, with the commissioner or an official license examiner of the department. All persons not holding valid, unexpired licenses issued in this state shall be required to secure an original license, except those specifically exempted from licensing under Section 63-1-7. The application shall state the name, date of birth, the social security number of the applicant unless the applicant is not a United States citizen and does not possess a social security number issued by the United States government, sex, race, color of eyes, color of hair, weight, height and residence address, and whether or not the applicant's privilege to drive has been suspended or revoked at any time, and, if so, when, by whom, and for what cause, and whether any previous application by him has been denied, and whether he has any physical defects which would interfere with his operating a motor vehicle safely upon the highways.

( * * *b2) Every applicant for an original license shall show proof of * * * ~~domicile~~ residence in this state. * * *

An applicant for an original license may show proof of residence in this state by presenting to the license examiner at least two (2) of the following documents:

(a) A utility bill, including telephone service, showing a valid residential address;

(b) A bank statement showing a valid Mississippi address;

(c) An acceptable employer verification, such as an employment identification card, a letter from the employer on its official letterhead or a payroll check or payroll check stub;

(d) An automobile, life or health insurance policy showing a valid Mississippi address;

(e) A driver's license issued by the State of Mississippi to a parent, legal guardian or spouse;

(f) A Mississippi motor vehicle registration showing a valid Mississippi address;

(g) An Internal Revenue Service Tax Reporting W-2 Form;

(h) A receipt for personal or real estate taxes paid within the last year showing a valid Mississippi address;

(i) A copy of a residential lease showing a valid Mississippi address;

(j) If the applicant is a student enrolled in a public or private school in Mississippi, a photo student identification card and acceptable documentation that the student resides on campus; or

(k) A photo identification card issued by the government of the applicant's country of origin.

(3) If an applicant is unable to provide at least two (2) of the documents described in subsection (2) of this section, he or she may provide one (1) of the documents described in subsection (2) of this section and one (1) of the following documents:

(a) The Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) issued by the Internal Revenue Service;

(b) Form I-94 issued to the applicant by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service;

(c) An Employment Authorization Card (EAC) issued to the applicant by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service;

(d) A permanent Residence Card issued to the applicant by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service; or

(e) A stamp in a foreign passport issued by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service showing evidence of lawful admission for permanent residence.

(4) The documents described in subsections (1) and (2) of this section must include the applicant's name; if the applicant has a spouse; the name of the applicant's spouse, or if the applicant is a minor, the name of a parent or legal guardian. These documents must also show the applicant's valid residence address used on the application for the Mississippi driver's license.

Each application or filing made under this section, except as otherwise provided under Section 63-1-35(2), shall include the social security number(s) of the application in accordance with Section 93-11-64.

( * * *35) Whenever a person who has applied for or who has been issued a license or permit under this article moves from the address listed in the application or on the permit or license, or whenever the name of a licensee changes by marriage or otherwise, such person, within thirty (30) days thereafter, shall notify, in writing, the Department of Public Safety, Driver Services Division, and inform the department of his or her previous address and new address and of his or her former name and new name. The department shall not change the name of a licensee or permittee on his or her license or permit unless the applicant appears in person at an office of the department and provides a certified copy of his or her marriage license, court order, birth certificate or divorce decree changing the licensee's or permittee's name.

( * * *46) (a) Any male who is at least eighteen (18) years of age but less than twenty-six (26) years of age and who applies for a permit or license or a renewal of a permit or license under this chapter shall be registered in compliance with the requirements of Section 3 of the Military Selective Service Act, 50 USCS Section 3802, as amended.

(b) The department shall forward in an electronic format the necessary personal information of the applicant to the Selective Service System. The applicant's submission of the application shall serve as an indication that the applicant either has already registered with the Selective Service System or that he is authorizing the department to forward to the Selective Service System the necessary information for registration. The commissioner shall notify the applicant on, or as a part of, the application that his submission of the application will serve as his consent to registration with the Selective Service System, if so required. The commissioner also shall notify any male applicant under the age of eighteen (18) that he will be registered upon turning age eighteen (18) as required by federal law.

SECTION 5. The following shall be codified as Section 63-1-20, Mississippi Code of 1972:

63-1-20. (1) The Department of Public Safety may issue a certificate for driving to persons whose presence in the United States has been authorized by the federal government for a specific purpose and for a specified period of authorized stay. This certificate of driving shall be valid only during the period of time of the applicant's authorized stay in the United States. No certificate shall be issued for a period of less than one (1) year or longer than five (5) years.

(2) In addition to the purpose set out under subsection (1) of this section, the Department of Public Safety may issue a certificate for driving to persons with a disability. For a person to obtain a certificate of driving under this subsection (2), the person shall complete the driving test but shall not have to complete the written test. A certificate of driving under this subsection (2) shall only be valid for travel to and from the person's work. Such certificate shall be issued for a period of four (4) years.

(3) Except as otherwise provided in this section, all laws applicable to driver's licenses and financial responsibility shall also apply to certificates for driving. All laws applicable to convictions, suspensions, cancellations and revocations of driver's licenses shall also apply to certificates for driving.

(4) Any applicant applying for a certificate for driving, upon initial issuance, renewal or reinstatement, shall meet the requirements of this section.

(5) For the purposes of this section, "certificate for driving" means a certificate issued by the department to an individual who does not satisfy the requirements of Section 63-1-35 to obtain a driver's license. A certificate for driving shall be clearly distinguishable from a driver's license and shall clearly display on its face a phrase substantially similar to: "FOR DRIVING PURPOSES ONLY - NOT VALID FOR IDENTIFICATION."

SECTION 6. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2024.