The state’s most violent felons could soon be identified as such on their driver’s licenses and other state ID cards.
The state House of Representatives postponed a scheduled vote Thursday until next week on House Bill 91. It calls for marking state identification with a number or letter to show to law enforcement that the person has been convicted of the state’s seven violent felonies: murder, kidnapping, rape, armed robbery, aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation or aggravated sexual battery.
The mark stays on the ID only as long as the person is on probation or parole. When that ends, the person can apply for a traditional license or ID card.
Sponsor Timothy Bearden, chairman of the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, called the matter a public safety issue.
“When our public safety officers stop someone on the street, they have no idea who they’re stopping,” the Villa Rica Republican said. “I would say it almost levels the playing field to provide additional information for our law enforcement.”
The measure is not without its critics. House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams raised questions about the constitutionality of the proposal, considering possible discrimination when driver’s licenses are used for civil matters such as cashing checks or renting a car.
"The concern would be constitutional interference," the Atlanta Democrat said.
If the House approves the proposal, it still must go through the state Senate before Gov. Nathan Deal would decide whether to sign it into law.
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