OFFICE OF FISCAL ANALYSIS
Legislative Office Building, Room 5200
Hartford, CT 06106 (860) 240-0200
http://www.cga.ct.gov/ofa
sHB-6875
AN ACT CONCERNING THE ISSUANCE OF AN IDENTITY CARD
OR MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATOR'S LICENSE TO A PERSON
BEING DISCHARGED FROM A CORRECTIONAL FACILITY.
Primary Analyst: ME 4/12/23
Contributing Analyst(s): PM
Reviewer: RP
OFA Fiscal Note
State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 24 $ FY 25 $
Correction, Dept. GF - Cost 368,974 378,198
State Comptroller - Fringe
Benefits
1
GF - Cost 157,995 161,945
Motor Vehicle Dept. TF - Cost Up to
25,000
Up to
25,000
Motor Vehicle Dept. TF - Revenue
Gain
See Below See Below
Note: GF=General Fund; TF=Transportation Fund
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill requires the Department of Correction (DOC) and the
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to ensure incarcerated
individuals have a state identity card or driver's license when they are
released from a correctional facility resulting in the costs described
below.
To meet the requirements of the bill the DOC will have to hire six new
employees (five correctional counselor's and one financial clerk) for a
cost to the DOC of $368,974 in FY 24 and $378,198 in FY 25, along with
1
The fringe benefit costs for most state employees are budgeted centrally in accounts
administered by the Comptroller. The estimated active employee fringe benefit cost
associated with most personnel changes is 42.82% of payroll in FY 24. 2023HB-06875-R000588-FN.DOCX Page 2 of 2
associated fringe benefit costs of $157,995 in FY 24 and $161,945 in FY
25. The bill requires the DOC to:
• Determine if each new inmate has an identity card or driver's
license and when it expires.
• Determine the documentation needed 24 and 13 months
before the discharge date for an inmate and facilitate the
process by providing forms, fees, waivers, mailing, etc.
• Make a written licensing exam available to any person seeking
a driver's license.
Currently, DOC and DMV must ensure an inmate possess an identity
card or license if they request one, qualify for one, and pay the
associated fees. In FY 22 the DOC helped over 1,300 inmates secure a
driver's license or a non-driver ID and approximately 8,000 inmates
were discharged from correctional facilities.
The bill results in a cost to DMV of up to $25,000 for making any
required driver's license exams available (the road test is exempt from
the bill's requirements) and related processing and issuance costs. The
cost would be dependent on implementation decisions made by DMV
and DOC and on the number of incarcerated people needing written
testing, such as first-time license seekers and those with licenses expired
for more than two years. The bill also results in a revenue gain to the
Special Transportation Fund for additional ID card and licensing fees
received. It is unknown how many additional incarcerated people will
apply for IDs and driver's licenses under the bill.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to inflation and the number of
incarcerated people requesting ID cards and licenses.