Registry offers IDs for 14 and 15-year-olds

 

Fourteen- and 15-year-olds can now obtain official state identification cards, an expansion of eligibility for IDs previously available only to those 16 and over. The IDs should make it easier for teenagers to obtain work permits, prove their age and identity to potential employers, and cash paychecks, officials said.

State Representative John P. Fresolo, who sponsored the ID bill said he filed the bill after hearing from a dozen 14- and 15-year-olds each summer who had been stymied in attempts to seek employment because they lacked photo identification, although state law does not require photo IDs for work permits.

After conferring with a supervisor at the Registry, Fresolo said, he learned that the Registry branch in his district regularly turned away teenagers under 16 who were seeking IDs. The lawmaker said he thought the benefits of extending IDs to younger teenagers would outweigh the modest increase in traffic at the Registry and the negligible cost of adjusting the Registry’s software to change eligible ages.

“It’s something that should have been done a long time ago,’’ said Fresolo, a Worcester Democrat, adding that the $25 fee per ID may also generate some extra revenue for the Registry.

“We’re going to be able to identify more and more of our youth,’’ Fresolo said, “and that’s a good thing in this day and age, unfortunately, that we live in, where sometimes they do go missing.’’

The change in the law will also help teenagers who lack a more expensive passport and who have found a need for photo identification while traveling outside the state with school or volunteer groups, said Ann C. Dufresne, a spokeswoman for the Registry.

The Massachusetts ID resembles a driver’s license, minus the driving privileges. To obtain one, a person must be at least 14 and must prove date of birth and residency.

Governor Deval Patrick signed the bill July 26, and it took effect Oct. 24.

To obtain a state work permit through their school district, teenagers under 18 must receive a job offer, obtain the signature of a parent or guardian, and provide a proof of age, such as birth certificate, passport, or immigration record.

The ID will make it easier, but is not a requirement for that permit, said Nancy Snyder, president of Commonwealth Corp., which administers youth employment programs for the state.

Having the ID will also help teenagers prove their identity to potential employers, who are required to file federal eligibility-verification documents known as the I-9 Form, and cash their paychecks, Snyder said.

-From “Registry offers IDs for 14 and 15-year-olds” by Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff , The Boston Globe, November 23, 2010, http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/11/23/registry_offers_ids_for_14_and_15_year_olds/ retrieved 11/23/10.

 

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