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HB 22

Correctional Services - Incarcerated Individuals - Identification Cards and Driver's Licenses

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Dylan Behler and 7 co-sponsors

HB 22 permits incarcerated Maryland residents to obtain or renew identification cards and driver's licenses during incarceration to ease post-release reentry and employment access.

Favorable with Amendments Report by Government, Labor, and Elections
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 22

Legislative bill overview

HB 22 would allow incarcerated individuals in Maryland to obtain or renew identification cards and driver's licenses while serving their sentences. The bill appears designed to facilitate smoother reentry into society by ensuring people have valid ID documentation upon release, rather than facing delays in obtaining these documents post-incarceration.

Why is this important

Valid identification is a critical barrier to reentry—needed for employment, housing, banking, and social services. Without ID, formerly incarcerated people face significant obstacles to self-sufficiency. Enabling ID acquisition during incarceration could reduce recidivism by accelerating economic stability and reducing time spent navigating bureaucratic processes immediately after release.

Potential points of contention

  • Security and safety concerns: Critics may argue that issuing government IDs to incarcerated individuals creates security vulnerabilities, potential for fraudulent use, or operational complications in correctional facilities
  • Cost and resource allocation: Questions about who bears costs for processing, printing, and storing IDs in facilities, and whether this diverts resources from core corrections operations
  • Implementation logistics: Concerns about how Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles coordination with correctional facilities would function, data management, and whether facilities have capacity to facilitate this process

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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