Colorado § 25-4-2208 - Necessary document program - report - appropriation - gifts, grants, or donations - definition.

§ 25-4-2208. Necessary document program - report - appropriation - gifts, grants, or donations - definition.

(1) As used in this section, "necessary document" means:

(a) A social security card issued pursuant to 42 U.S.C. sec. 405 (c)(2)(G);

(b) One of the following documents issued in Colorado or analogous documents issued in another jurisdiction:

(I) A driver's license issued pursuant to part 1 of article 2 of title 42, C.R.S.;

(II) An identification card issued pursuant to part 3 of article 2 of title 42, C.R.S.; and

(III) A vital statistics certificate or vital statistics report issued pursuant to article 2 of this title; or

(c) Any document required as a condition of issuance of a document specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of this subsection (1).

(2) (a) The office shall administer a necessary document program to assist Colorado residents who are victims of domestic violence, are impacted by a natural disaster, earn low incomes, have disabilities, are experiencing homelessness, or are elderly and who are seeking documentation of their identity, status, or citizenship by paying the fees to acquire a necessary document.

(b) (I) On and after July 1, 2027, and to the extent that money appropriated to the office pursuant to subsection (3)(a) of this section is available, an individual specified in subsection (2)(a) of this section who needs to obtain any necessary documents may obtain the necessary documents without cost to the individual and without a physical voucher at:

(A) Participating division of motor vehicles locations;

(B) Participating mobile units or from authorized representatives that offer driver's licenses, identification card services, vital statistics certificates, vital statistics reports, or related documents as described in subsection (1)(c) of this section; or

(C) Participating vital statistics offices.

(II) An individual may self-attest to the individual's eligibility to receive assistance from the necessary document program.

(c) Nothing in this subsection (2) changes the identity verification requirements that may be required to obtain a necessary document.

(3) (a) The general assembly shall annually appropriate to the office up to three hundred thousand dollars from the general fund. The office shall expend the money for the purposes specified in this section.

(b) The office shall use the money appropriated pursuant to subsection (3)(a) of this section for the following:

(I) Up to fifteen thousand dollars for the office's direct and indirect costs of administering the necessary document program;

(II) To reimburse the department for fees for the issuance of vital statistics certificates, vital statistics reports, or related documents as described in subsections (1)(b)(III) and (1)(c) of this section; and

(III) To reimburse the department of revenue for the issuance of driver's licenses, identification cards, or related documents as described in subsections (1)(b)(I), (1)(b)(II), and (1)(c) of this section.

(c) (I) The department and the department of revenue shall each submit requests to the office for reimbursement based on the actual number of necessary documents issued by the department or the department of revenue and in the manner determined by the office.

(II) The office shall provide reimbursements to the department and the department of revenue in a manner determined appropriate by the department until the money appropriated to the office pursuant to subsection (3)(a) of this section is no longer available.

(4) Beginning January 1, 2032, and each five years thereafter, the department shall include, as part of its annual presentation to the general assembly pursuant to the "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act", part 2 of article 7 of title 2, a report on the total number of necessary documents acquired on an annual basis and any significant technological changes or other developments that affect the need for, or operations of, the necessary document program.

(5) In addition to the money appropriated to the office pursuant to subsection (3)(a) of this section, the office may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from private or public sources for the purposes of this section.

Source: L. 2016: Entire section added, (HB 16-1386), ch. 302, p. 1219, § 1, effective June 10. L. 2021: (4) amended, (SB 21-018), ch. 418, p. 2778, § 1, effective July 2. L. 2025: (2) and (3) amended and (5) added, (SB 25-008), ch. 207, p. 935, § 2, effective August 6.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in SB 25-008, see section 1 of chapter 207, Session Laws of Colorado 2025.