NYC Launches Municipal Identification Card
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New York City launched its municipal identification card Monday.
"For hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers this'll be the first time they can get any kind of ID," said Mayor Bill de Blasio
The card, dubbed IDNYC, is aimed at those who do not currently have an ID. They include the elderly, homeless and an estimated 500,000 immigrants in the city who live in the U.S. without legal documentation.
NYC Launches Municipal Identification Card
All New Yorkers age 14 and older are eligible. They can apply at enrollment centers across the city.
The card is available to anyone who can prove their identity and New York City residency. Applicants do not have to reveal their immigration status to receive one.
At a launch ceremony at the Queens Public Library, the mayor presented an ID card to Ester Sanchez, who has lived in the city for 18 years but is an immigrant from Mexico, 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon reported.
NYC Launches Municipal Identification Card
Sanchez emotionally described how with no picture ID, she was once turned away from a hospital when her child was sick.
The ID is meant to help New Yorkers take care of their day-to-day business, including cashing a check, signing a lease or entering office buildings for job interviews or public schools for parent-teacher conferences.
"It's good to have ID," de Blasio told reporters, including WCBS 880's Rich Lamb. "It makes everything simpler in life."
The mayor said the ID cards should also provide better cooperation with law enforcement, Rincon reported. He said that's why the NYPD supports the IDNYC card.
WEB EXTRA: Full List Of NYC ID Benefits
Those who sign up for the new cards will also be able to score some major perks, including free one-year memberships at 33 of the city's signature cultural institutions.
De Blasio made the establishment of the ID card a central campaign promise and signed the bill into law last July.
The card is currently free to obtain, though a fee may be applied in the future, city officials said.
Other U.S. cities that issue such cards include Los Angeles, San Francisco and New Haven, Connecticut.
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