The City Council voted to pass Council Member Shahana Hanif’s Intro 216-A, the Access to IDNYC Act. The bill, developed in collaboration with advocates and direct-service organizations, will streamline processes to enhance the IDNYC program operations with key reforms, including:

● Reinstating same-day walk-in appointments on a pilot basis

● Ensuring the number of available application slots meets demand from New Yorkers

● Codifying improvements to the online appointment scheduling system

● Implementing annual staff training for efficient processes

● Establishing a review system for applicants who are denied

● Adding an issue date to the card

“New Yorkers require photo identification to access public benefits, employment, healthcare, and other things they need to survive. For the last decade, the IDNYC program has played a critical role in giving more New Yorkers access to a photo ID, but delays and barriers to IDNYC access can have tremendous consequences, such as deepening housing instability or food insecurity,” said Kathleen McKenna, Senior Policy Social Worker at Brooklyn Defender Services. “We thank Council Member Hanif for her support of the Access to IDNYC Bill to help break down these barriers and ensure even more New Yorkers can have access to IDNYC.”

Read the full press release here.