Lawmakers take step to assist homeless acquire key documents

Birth certificate, ID necessary for employment, productivity, advocates say

PIERRE – A pair of bills aimed at making it easier for homeless people to catch their footing and make headway toward reentering society cleared a key hurdle Tuesday.

The first would allow South Dakotans without a copy of their birth certificate to obtain a certified copy through qualifying service providers – such as homeless shelters or housing assistance programs – who could submit an affidavit on behalf of an applicant to the state, which issues birth certificates.

“It could be the first domino needed for a Social Security card, driver’s license or a variety of different things,” bill sponsor Rep. Tyler Tordsen, R-Sioux Falls, said.

The second would allow a resident to obtain a state ID card. Rep. Kadyn Wittman, that bill’s sponsor, said she worked for two years in a homeless shelter and recalled examples where homeless people would spend days panhandling the money needed to pay $28 for an ID card.

“This bill is the reason I ran for office,” the first-term Democrat from Sioux Falls said.

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