A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to establish a pilot program to issue real id compliant special identification cards to students in public high schools in Anson, gaston, mecklenburg, and union counties.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Definition. – For purposes of this act, the term "State Identification Card" means a special identification card, as described in G.S. 20‑37.7, that is also Real ID Act‑compliant.
SECTION 2.  Requirement to Establish Pilot Program. – By no later than December 31, 2024, the Division of Motor Vehicles of the Department of Transportation (DMV), in conjunction with the State Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the governing bodies of public school units with high schools located in Anson, Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Union Counties, shall establish and implement a pilot program to issue a State Identification Card to eligible students in public high schools.
SECTION 3.  Minimum Standards. – The pilot program established pursuant to this act shall, at minimum, meet all of the following requirements:
(1)	Students that are (i) at least 16 years old and (ii) enrolled in a public high school located within Anson, Gaston, Mecklenburg, or Union Counties shall be eligible to receive a State Identification Card.
(2)	DMV shall issue a State Identification Card upon request to any eligible student. Issuance of the State Identification Card shall be free of charge to all of the following:
a.	Students eligible to receive free or reduced‑price lunch.
b.	Students in foster care, as that term is defined in G.S. 131D‑10.2.
c.	Students that establish a financial inability to pay any fee required for the issuance of a State Identification Card.
(3)	DMV, DPI, and the governing bodies of public high schools located in Anson, Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Union Counties shall provide information to students and parents regarding the issuance of State Identification Cards, and shall also provide students and parents the opportunity to establish a financial inability to pay any fee required for the issuance of a State Identification Card.
(4)	DMV, DPI, and the governing bodies of public high schools located in Anson, Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Union Counties shall coordinate scheduled time to give students the opportunity to obtain State Identification Cards. Time to obtain a State Identification Card shall be scheduled on one instructional day prior to December 31 of that school year and one instructional day after December 31 of that school year. If students travel to a DMV location to obtain the State Identification Card, the DMV shall have a dedicated terminal for students during that time. A DMV mobile office may also be used to satisfy this requirement.
(5)	Upon the request of a student, the student's high school shall provide the DMV with the information required to complete a State Identification Card application. This information shall be provided in a manner prescribed by the DMV.
(6)	Notwithstanding G.S. 130A‑93 or any other law to the contrary, the State Registrar is authorized to issue a certified copy of a student's birth certificate to the governing body of a public high school or the Division upon a student's request in connection with a State Identification Card application. The certified copy of the student's birth certificate is not a public record.
SECTION 4.  Expiration of the Pilot Program. – The pilot program required by this act expires December 31, 2026.
SECTION 5.  Applicability. – This act applies to public high schools located in Anson, Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Union Counties only.
SECTION 6.  Effective Date. – This act is effective when it becomes law.