Bill to waive fees for birth certificates for homeless clears House committee

SALT LAKE CITY — A plan to waive fees for homeless people seeking a copy of their birth certificate is a step closer to reality after a House committee gave it unanimous support Friday.

SB196 sponsor Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, told the House Political Subdivisions Committee his bill waives the fee for homeless people to get a copy of their birth certificate.
Comment on this story

Rep. Elizabeth Weight, D-West Valley City, thanked Christensen for running the bill.

"When people get into homelessness, it seems like they just face one obstacle after another... and then when they encounter people who think they should help themselves out, when they don't have something like an ID card, that's just another block in the way, and it ... contributes to their helplessness and their hopelessness," Weight said.

Read more: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900011903/bill-to-waive-fees-for-birth-certificates-for-homeless-clears-house-committee.html