MAKING OMNIBUS CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1997
SEC. 656. IMPROVEMENTS IN IDENTIFICATION-RELATED DOCUMENTS.
(a) BIRTH CERTIFICATES-
(1) STANDARDS FOR ACCEPTANCE BY FEDERAL AGENCIES-
(A) IN GENERAL-
(i) GENERAL RULE- Subject to clause (ii), a Federal agency may not accept for any official purpose a certificate of birth, unless the certificate--
(I) is a birth certificate (as defined in paragraph (3)); and
(II) conforms to the standards set forth in the regulation promulgated under subparagraph (B).
(ii) APPLICABILITY- Clause (i) shall apply only to a certificate of birth issued after the day that is 3 years after the date of the promulgation of a final regulation under subparagraph (B). Clause (i) shall not be construed to prevent a Federal agency from accepting for official purposes any certificate of birth issued on or before such day.
(B) REGULATION-
(i) CONSULTATION WITH GOVERNMENT AGENCIES- The President shall select 1 or more Federal agencies to consult with State vital statistics offices, and with other appropriate Federal agencies designated by the President, for the purpose of developing appropriate standards for birth certificates that may be accepted for official purposes by Federal agencies, as provided in subparagraph (A).
(ii) SELECTION OF LEAD AGENCY- Of the Federal agencies selected under clause (i), the President shall select 1 agency to promulgate, upon the conclusion of the consultation conducted under such clause, a regulation establishing standards of the type described in such clause.
(iii) DEADLINE- The agency selected under clause (ii) shall promulgate a final regulation under such clause not later than the date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(iv) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS- The standards established under this subparagraph--
(I) at a minimum, shall require certification of the birth certificate by the State or local custodian of record that issued the certificate, and shall require the use of safety paper, the seal of the issuing custodian of record, and other features designed to limit tampering, counterfeiting, and photocopying, or otherwise duplicating, the birth certificate for fraudulent purposes;
(II) may not require a single design to which birth certificates issued by all States must conform; and
(III) shall accommodate the differences between the States in the manner and form in which birth records are stored and birth certificates are produced from such records.
(2) GRANTS TO STATES-
(A) ASSISTANCE IN MEETING FEDERAL STANDARDS-
(i) IN GENERAL- Beginning on the date a final regulation is promulgated under paragraph (1)(B), the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the National Center for Health Statistics and after consulting with the head of any other agency designated by the President, shall make grants to States to assist them in issuing birth certificates that conform to the standards set forth in the regulation.
(ii) ALLOCATION OF GRANTS- The Secretary shall provide grants to States under this subparagraph in proportion to the populations of the States applying to receive a grant and in an amount needed to provide a substantial incentive for States to issue birth certificates that conform to the standards described in clause (i).
SEC. 657. DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOTYPE OF COUNTERFEIT-RESISTANT SOCIAL SECURITY CARD.
(a) DEVELOPMENT-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Commissioner of Social Security (in this section referred to as the `Commissioner') shall, in accordance with the provisions of this section, develop a prototype of a counterfeit-resistant social security card. Such prototype card--
(A) shall be made of a durable, tamper-resistant material such as plastic or polyester;
(B) shall employ technologies that provide security features, such as magnetic stripes, holograms, and integrated circuits; and
(C) shall be developed so as to provide individuals with reliable proof of citizenship or legal resident alien status.
(2) ASSISTANCE BY ATTORNEY GENERAL- The Attorney General shall provide such information and assistance as the Commissioner deems necessary to achieve the purposes of this section.
(b) STUDIES AND REPORTS-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Comptroller General and the Commissioner of Social Security shall each conduct a study, and issue a report to the Congress, that examines different methods of improving the social security card application process.
(2) ELEMENTS OF STUDIES- The studies shall include evaluations of the cost and work load implications of issuing a counterfeit-resistant social security card for all individuals over a 3, 5, and 10 year period. The studies shall also evaluate the feasibility and cost implications of imposing a user fee for replacement cards and cards issued to individuals who apply for such a card prior to the scheduled 3, 5, and 10 year phase-in options.
(3) DISTRIBUTION OF REPORTS- Copies of the reports described in this subsection, along with facsimiles of the prototype cards as described in subsection (a), shall be submitted to the Committees on Ways and Means and Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Finance and Judiciary of the Senate not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act.