Friday, February 28, 2025
28.0°F

Revised Washington law makes it easier for youth to get identification

CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 weeks AGO
by CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | January 31, 2025 1:50 AM

OLYMPIA — It will be easier for young people 16-18 years of age to get a Washington identification card without a parent’s or guardian’s signature under revisions to ID laws that took effect Jan. 1. 

The changes were made at the request of the Washington Department of Licensing, said Christine Anthony, WDL digital communications manager.  

“(The revised law) concerns helping people from underserved communities, including at-risk or under-resourced minors and low-income residents, to access identity documents like ID cards,” Anthony said via email. 

The revised law changes some of the rules governing who can help a minor obtain a driver’s license or identification card. Department of Licensing officials explained the reasoning behind the request in a report submitted to the Washington Legislature last year. 

The report said Washington has an estimated 13,000-15,000 “unaccompanied” young people who are experiencing homelessness. Other young people – more than 40,000 according to the report – live with relatives. Most of those arrangements are informal, the report said. 

But teens 16-18 years of age who wanted to get a driver’s license needed authorization from a parent, legal guardian or employer. That wasn’t always possible, especially for homeless teens, the report said. 

The revised law allows a “responsible adult” to sign for teens trying to get a driver’s license or other identification. That includes people with family or caretaker relationships with teens, or mental health professionals or government employees working with them. 

Other rules still apply. Teens must meet the criteria to have a license, which includes driver education.  

For young people who can’t get a driver’s license but need identification, Washington does provide an ID card. It’s $55 for six years. 

“(Department of Licensing) staff regularly hear that the cost of an ID card can be prohibitively expensive,” the report said.  

Washington does offer an at-cost ID card, which is $5, to qualifying residents. People who are receiving support through the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program are eligible. So are participants in the “Women, Infants, Children” program, and the revised law clarifies that. 

The law authorizes the Department of Licensing to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of offering reduced-fee ID cards, with the report due by December. The department will be required to evaluate current use, check parameters for current eligibility, determine how much it would cost and its impact on revenue, and recommend ways to improve access.  


MORE STORIES

ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER

More water conservation work to come in Moses Lake
February 28, 2025 1:10 a.m.

More water conservation work to come in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — Conservation measures have saved the city of Moses Lake a lot of water over the last two years, but not as much as the city has lost through system leaks. City officials will be working in 2025 to identify leaks and address them. Mayor Dustin Swartz said finding leaks is a priority.

Sale of possible 12th Moses Lake elementary site still pending
February 28, 2025 3 a.m.

Sale of possible 12th Moses Lake elementary site still pending

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake School District officials have started a committee that will conduct a review of all district facilities, including the potential construction of a new elementary school. Funding for the new campus was approved by voters in a 2017 bond election but the pandemic and other factors have delayed its development.

Top seed ACH opens boys state championship play today
February 28, 2025 3 a.m.

Top seed ACH opens boys state championship play today

WENATCHEE — The top-seeded Almira/Coulee-Hartline Warriors open the first round of the Class 1B state tournament against the Ocosta Wildcats at 6 p.m. Friday at Wenatchee High School.